Health Canada鈥檚 chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma says the agency is working through the final stages of its review of Pfizer鈥檚 promising antiviral treatment.
Pfizer submitted clinical data for its drug Paxlovid on Dec. 1, 2021.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in the final stages of the review. I can鈥檛 commit to a specific time but in the next week to 10 days is likely when we鈥檒l have a decision on that one,鈥 Sharma said in a statement to CTVNews.ca.
The drugmaker that the pill is designed to block the activity of an enzyme in SARS-CoV-2 that is essential for the virus to replicate itself, and also help to slow the breakdown of the pill鈥檚 ingredients in order to help combat the virus for longer. Part of the pill uses ritonavir, an existing drug that has been used in combination with other antiviral medications before.
Provinces and territories have been calling on the federal government to speed up the approval process, most recently with the rise of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant of concern.
However, the agency has been clear of the steps that need to be met for a drug to be green lit in Canada 鈥 steps that don鈥檛 change with political pressure.
"Health Canada will only authorize the use of anti-viral treatments if the independent and thorough scientific review of all the data included in the submissions show that the benefits of the treatments outweigh the potential risks,鈥 Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson told CTVNews.ca in a statement.
Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters on Wednesday during a COVID-19 update that the review is proceeding 鈥渟wiftly, in an accelerated manner.鈥
鈥淭hey are obviously working with international partners on making sure that this is moving swiftly and efficiently. The announcement and decision will be made very soon. As we prepare for that decision, whatever that may be, we have already secured one million doses of [Pfizer鈥檚] treatment,鈥 he said.
Duclos added that he鈥檚 had several conversations with his provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure that, when and if the treatment is approved, the federal government is ready to move to clinical use quickly.
Health Canada is also reviewing an experimental pill from drugmaker Merck, called molnupiravir, submitted on Aug. 13.
The government has signed a deal for up to 500,000 units of the molnupiravir drug, with the option for 500,000 more.
In late December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for both Pfizer and Merck鈥檚 drugs.
With a file from 麻豆影视鈥 Alexandra Mae Jones.
