New Covid pill to hit shelves soon
A NEW oral Covid-19 treatment, manufactured by Pfizer, will become available at Australian community pharmacies this weekend.
The tablets, called PAXLOVID, will be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme on Sunday,
But it is only available for high-risk patients within the first five days of mild to moderate symptoms.
The revolutionary drug was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in January and will now be available to high-risk patients with a prescription at their local community pharmacy.
It is the first oral treatment of its kind to treat the symptoms of Covid19 and works by slowing or stopping the virus from replicating.
The drug aims to reduce the risk of serious illness which is seen more commonly in high-risk communities such as the elderly and immunocompromised.
Pfizer Australia and New Zealand’s medical director Dr Krishan Thiru said that high-risk people testing positive for Covid-19 should seek medical advice quickly to find out what treatment is appropriate for them.
The tablet needs to be taken twice a day for five days and as soon as possible after a Covid-19 diagnosis.
To be eligible for the PBS subsidised treatment you must be over 65 years old (over 50 years old for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s), or immunocompromised.
Pfizer’s managing director Anne Harris said the treatment would not replace the need for vaccination.
A similar oral treatment, Lagevrio, was put on the PBS in March and is also only available to high-risk patients.