Paxlovid can also cause an irregular heartbeat when combined with drugs for heart pain and when taken alongside statins it can be toxic for the liver. AFP
New Delhi: Pharma giant Pfizer’s flagship Covid-19 drug, that was used to treat US President Joe Biden, may have dangerous side effects if taken along with common medications, a recent study has found.
Pfizer’s Covid-19 medicine- Paxlovid- gained emergency use authorization in the United States in December 2021 and was touted as an anti-viral drug to treat mild to moderate Covid-19 infection in high-risk patients.
At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States, Paxlovid was given to millions of vulnerable Americans with underlying health conditions — thus decreasing their risk of succumbing to the dreaded virus by up to 90 per cent. But, a recent study carried out by researchers from the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and other US institutions has revealed that Pfizer’s flagship Covid-19 drug can cause serious health problems when taken with common heart disease medication such as statins and blood thinners.
Paxlovid can also cause an irregular heartbeat when combined with drugs for heart pain and when taken alongside statins it can be toxic for the liver. Several other common medicines such as aspirin, however, are safe to take with Paxlovid, the researchers have found. But, they have also warned that doctors need to be aware that other drugs can be dangerous and should be discontinued or adjusted while a patient is being treated for Covid-19.
When President Joe Biden, 79, tested positive for Covid-19 and started Paxlovid in July, his physician Dr Kevin O’Connor temporarily stopped him from taking the statin Crestor and stroke prevention drug Eliquis.
Pfizer’s CEO Dr Albert Bourla, 60, also took a course of Paxlovid when he caught the virus in August.
Two antivirals- nirmatrelvir and ritonavir make up Paxlovid. Dr Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who was not involved in the new study, told CNN: “The second drug, ritonavir, is a nonspecific drug that inhibits metabolism and increases the dose of the other drug. But the ritonavir in Paxlovid also can inhibit the metabolism of other drugs. So you have to be really careful when you prescribe Paxlovid for people who are on certain blood thinners, cardiac medications, statins and other drugs,” Barouch said.
In the United States, Paxlovid is intended for use by patients who are considered likely to become seriously ill from the deadly Covid-19 virus, such as the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions like heart disease.
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