COVID-19 Oral Antiviral 'Paxlovid' Prescription Restrictions for Certain Angina and Arrhythmia Medications

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] It has been found that some chronic disease patients need to exercise caution when being prescribed Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment, Paxlovid. Patients with underlying conditions such as angina, arrhythmia, or gout who have tested positive for COVID-19 must verify whether their chronic disease medications can be safely combined with Paxlovid.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) on the 10th, Paxlovid consists of three pills: two tablets of the antiviral agent nirmatrelvir and one tablet of ritonavir, an antiretroviral drug also used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It received emergency use authorization from the MFDS on the 27th of last month.

Paxlovid can be prescribed to adults and pediatric patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe illness. It must be taken within 5 days of symptom onset after testing positive for COVID-19. The medication is taken twice daily at 12-hour intervals, with three pills each time. The treatment lasts for 5 days.

Patients who are taking medications for chronic diseases may face difficulties in being prescribed Paxlovid. Some drugs, when taken together with Paxlovid, can increase toxicity levels to life-threatening degrees or reduce the effectiveness of Paxlovid.

Currently, the MFDS has identified 28 contraindicated drugs, including the analgesic pethidine, anti-angina agent hanolazine, antiarrhythmic amiodarone, antigout colchicine, and anticancer agent apalutamide. Patients taking medications containing these contraindicated components may have restrictions on Paxlovid prescriptions. However, if the chronic disease medication can be temporarily discontinued during Paxlovid treatment, prescribing Paxlovid is possible.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.