New Covid medications on way after Australia secures access
MORE than half-a-million extra doses of Covid-19 treatments have been secured for Australians, with the first 5000 expected to arrive by the end of the month.
The federal government announced on Sunday it had secured 500,000 courses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 oral antiviral drug, which will be used in combination with the protease inhibitor drug ritonavir. Another 15,000 doses of the
Covid-19 antibody-based therapy Ronapreve were also secured.
Early studies have shown the drug Ronapreve reduced the risk of hospitalisation and death by up to 70 per cent in positive Covid cases.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the initial shipment of 5000 doses was expected this month.
The supply will be held in the national medical stockpile.
Clinical trials are being undertaken on the Pfizer antiviral drug but Mr Hunt said it was expected to help to reduce the severity or onset of illness in adults who contracted or were exposed to Covid-19.
He said it was expected to be available over the course of 2022, subject to final clinical trials and approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administrator.
“This oral antiviral treatment is taken every 12 hours for five days and is designed to block an enzyme the virus needs in order to multiply early in its life cycle,” Mr Hunt said.
“Co-administration with a low dose of ritonavir is expected to help slow the metabolism of the treatment in order for it to remain active in the body for longer periods of time at higher concentrations to combat the virus.”
He said it was expected to be for use in unvaccinated people who were at risk of severe disease.
Australia has also secured an agreement for 300,000 courses of the oral Covid-19 treatment Molnupiravir – expected to be supplied in 2022 subject to TGA approval.