Authorities warn: Don’t self-prescribe Covid drugs like Molnupiravir
New warnings are being issued about self-medicating or misusing Covid-19 drugs like Molnupiravir and the negative effects that could result from it. Department of Disease Control Director-General Dr Opas Karnkawinpong is warning that people who do not need treatment taking antiviral drugs may create drug resistance in their body, making it ineffective against future infections.
Meanwhile, director of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital is cautioning people against buying Molnupiravir for self-prescribed use after a Faculty of Science member at the attached Chulalongkorn University posted that he and his family had bought their supply of the Covid-fighting drug. The director warned that the faculty member posted as a personal opinion and not professionally as a doctor.
The hospital director warned that Molnupiravir should only be taken by prescription and under medical supervision and that consumers purchasing for personal use is unsafe and can be harmful. The antiviral medication itself could hurt a person who takes it when it’s not appropriate. Also, there is not a big enough supply of Molnupiravir for everyone to treat themselves haphazardly, and personal consumers medicating unnecessarily could lead to shortages for people who need the treatment.
Furthermore, misusing Covid medication could build up drug resistance and reduce the effectiveness of the pills. The majority of people who are vaccinated and get coronavirus do not need the antiviral drug as most will have only mild symptoms. Molnupiravir can abate symptoms quickly but can have long term negative effects when misused.
Private clinics and hospitals were recently approved by the government to provide Molnupiravir to patients with Covid, but only for those suffering severe infections. The Department of Disease Control urges that people should only be taking antiviral pills with a prescription from these or other medical facilities.
On another front, AstraZeneca’s Evusheld Long-Acting Antibody injections are set to roll out to government hospitals within the next week. Some 257,500 of them were ordered and the first 7,000 have been delivered, with the remainder expected within the next two months. The LAAB treatment can help prevent coronavirus infections from taking hold, and will first be given to the most high-risk people like those with organ transplants or chronic kidney disease that needs immunosuppressants or dialysis.
SOURCE: Thai News Agency MCOT & The Nation
