According to a newspaper report, the EU is offering China free vaccines to stem the coronavirus wave. The initiative is part of efforts by EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides to find a European response to the impending wave of infections, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
She turned to her Chinese colleagues to offer solidarity and support. “Among other things, through public health expertise and donations of EU-adapted vaccines.”
China pushes remdesivir to be swallowed
However, the Chinese researchers do not want to have shown worse results with a form of the active substance remdesivir suitable for swallowing than with Paxlovid (Pfizer), known in the West, in the treatment of high-risk patients.
Remdesivir, an inhibitor of the viral polymerase enzyme of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses, was one of the first drugs to treat Covid-19. However, its use so far has been limited to hospitals because it is only available as an infusion.
The drugs Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, a protease inhibitor) and molnupiravir, which can be taken by mouth, were available primarily to prevent severe disease progression.