In Cyprus, the expiration date of expired COVID-19 medicine from Greece has been extended

The antiviral drug Paxlovid, used to treat Covid-19, has arrived in the Republic of Cyprus from Greece. The expiration date of the drug with an expired shelf life has been extended with the permission of the European Medicines Agency.

According to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus, the relevant batch of the considered drug, whose shelf life expires in December 2023, has received a new expiration date - February 2024.

After the corresponding approval from the European Medicines Agency, the batch received an extension of the time during which it can be used.

It is noted that the extension of the drug's shelf life was allowed in January, and therefore, the medicine is completely safe. Each prescription of the considered batch comes with instructions from the manufacturer indicating its new expiration date.

Recall that the Minister of Health, Michalis Damianou, announced the arrival of Paxlovid from Greece on Thursday.

The Ministry of Health sought assistance from Greece after unfavorable weather prevented the delivery of a batch of this drug from Frankfurt.

Inclement weather in central Germany led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights from the city's airport, making the delivery of the medicine impossible.

The drug received from Greece is already available in the pharmacies of state hospitals. According to the Minister of Health, the medicines expected from Germany are "already on the way."

Paxlovid is certified in the European Union for the treatment of Covid-19 in adults who do not require additional oxygen and are at an increased risk of developing symptoms to a severe form of Covid-19.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health stated that Paxlovid can be prescribed by general practitioners, virologists, pulmonologists, hematologists, oncologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, neurologists, and other specialists.

Side effects of the drug include diarrhea, high blood pressure, changes in taste sensations, and muscle pain.

Caption: The medication comes with instructions fr