Health Canada gave interim approval (aka Emergency Use Authorization in the U.S.) to Pfizer’s antiviral drug, Paxlovid (PF-07321332), in early January, 2022 for the treatment of COVID-19. This oral antiviral regimen is really two drugs taken together, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, twice a day. The purpose is to prevent SARS CoV-2 replication in the cell by inhibiting the enzyme protease, which is necessary for the virus’ production. It is classified as a protease inhibitor.
While this drug may be touted by media and others as an effective oral drug to treat the SARS CoV-2 virus, it has huge limitations. You may want start your research on Health Canada’s website describing Paxlovid. First a caution and then the link—
On the Government of Canada vaccine information page, there is a warning not to take Paxlovid if you are taking any of the medications included for the treatment of nearly two dozen other medical issues. There are a number of additional medications that may interact with Paxlovid, many of which are for common conditions such as asthma, seasonal allergies, high cholesterol, depression, seizures and infections. Be sure you have your medication list available for your health care provider to review before considering using this medication.
Also note the warning at the bottom of the page – “Not many people have taken Paxlovid. Serious and unexpected side effects may happen. Paxlovid is still being studied, so it is possible that all the side effects are not known at this time.” Essentially, this is an experimental drug. All of its side effects are not yet known.
https://covid-vaccine.canada.ca/info/paxlovid-en.html
There have been many articles and videos online to compare Paxlovid to Ivermectin. Paxlovid is around 2000-times more potent than Ivermectin for direct inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 protease enzyme that is necessary to permit viral replication. However, this appears to be the only known mechanism of action of Paxlovid. In addition to this, Ivermectin also has other mechanisms of action including preventing entry of the virus into the cell, anti-inflammatory actions, additional methods to prevent viral replication, and actions to prevent the complications of the infection. Paxlovid is estimated to be sold for over CDN $660 per treatment, whereas the purchase cost of Ivermectin, where available, is typically less than CDN $50 per treatment.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34931048/ –The mechanisms of action of ivermectin against SARS-CoV-2-an extensive review
Ivermectin also boasts a longer safety record with over 4 billion doses used worldwide as well as numerous successful trials in its use for COVID-19.
For an interesting and worthwhile video explaining the differences between Paxlovid and Ivermectin, here is a link to Dr. John Campbell’s commentary.
