The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has granted provisional approval to two products for COVID-positive patients t risk of serious illness.
The two oral threatments are Pfizer’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) and Lagevrio (molnupiravir) produced by Merck Sharp & Dohme.Covid.
This is a world first, as the two medications will be used in Australia mainly made available to aged care facilities and older Australiansr in an effort to reduce deaths.
Set to be used as additional treatment and not to replace COVID-19 vaccines the products will be arriving in the coming weeks, after the government secured 500,000 courses of Paxlovid and 300,000 courses of Lagevrio.
“They will help people who are at increase risk of going from mild to moderate and deemed by medical professionals to have the risk of progression of more serious conditions,” Mr Hunt said.
“They will build on what we’re already doing through the intravenous or hospital treatments.”
The TGA said either medicine should be administered “as soon as possible” after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, and within five days of symptom onset.