Who can expect to get the COVID-19 antiviral pill in B.C., and how many will be available?
There's another tool in the fight against COVID-19 and B.C.'s top doctor said it will help prevent more serious illness if it's given to people early on.
Health Canada authorized the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid Monday, and it's the first oral and at-home prescription medication to be cleared for use in the country.
In a news conference Tuesday, Dr. Bonnie Henry said the antiviral treatment is designed specifically for individuals at the highest risk of developing more severe illness and ending up in hospital.
"It includes those people in our community who are over age 70, clinically extremely vulnerable, immune compromised and for younger people who have additional medical conditions and don’t have the protection of vaccines."
Henry said B.C. can expect a limited supply of 4,000 treatment doses within the next few weeks.
The prescription-only medication must be started within five days of the onset of symptoms.
Henry added that the province is working with its clinical care advisory team to distribute the treatment where it can be the most effective.
"This is very good news. It's not going to change the trajectory of our pandemic right now but it's another tool to help those people who are more at-risk of ending up in hospital," she said.
University of British Columbia associate professor and drug safety researcher Mahyar Etminan said the treatment should not be viewed as a magic bullet.
"We don’t really have any data on children or healthy adults," he said. "So primarily, it was studied in adults who had COVID symptoms and had one other medical condition."
Etminan said the efficacy numbers being shared by the company for the treatment also need to be put in perspective.
"Unfortunately, the way they presented the data is this relative risk reduction metric, which tends to sort of overestimate the efficacy," he said, and noted Pfizer has reported an 88 per cent reduction of either hospitalization or death relative to the placebo group.
"In absolute numbers, it’s about a six per cent benefit...if 16 such participants took the drugs, one would benefit."
Etminan said roughly a thousand adults were part of the Pfizer study that received the antiviral combination, which helps prevent the replication of COVID in the body. He said a similar number were given a placebo.
"It’s also important to know that the data we have is data provided by the company," he said. "We still don’t have any peer-reviewed data from this study."
Etminan said based on the available data, "it seems like it should really be intended for adults who are at a high-risk of morbidity or dying from COVID."
"It comes down to risk versus benefits," he said. "It seems from the data we have that that sort of demographic would, right now at least, benefit the most from this drug."
Two additional vaccines, Medicago and Novavax, continue to be under review by Health Canada.
"We were hoping (Novavax) would be approved sometime in January, but it looks like it's more likely to be in February and Medicago may be as early as the end of January or February," Henry said.
"So I think that's important for those people who have made that determination that the mRNA vaccines that we have, and are holding out for something else. It's not going to be available to help you through this wave. But it is an additional option that will be coming, we hope, in the near future."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Eurovision Song Contest final kicks off after protests, backstage chaos and a contestant's expulsion
The final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Saturday in the Swedish city of Malmo after days of protests and offstage drama that have tipped the feelgood musical celebration into a chaotic pressure cooker overshadowed by the war in Gaza.
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.