Thai government signs procurement deal for 2 million Paxlovid tablets
Thailand’s Department of Medical Services has signed a deal with Pfizer to purchase 2 million Paxlovid tablets for the treatment of Covid-19. This equates to 50 treatment courses of the anti-viral medication, with delivery expected next month, according to a Thai PBS World report.
DMS director Dr. Somsak Akksilp says that clinical trials have shown the drug can reduce the risk of hospitalisation or death from illness by about 88% if given within 5 days of symptoms appearing. He adds that its success rate means the US National Institutes of Health has prioritised it over other Covid-19 treatments.
The treatment is a combination of 2 antiviral medications, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. Treatment consists of 3 pills, 1 of ritonavir, which was once used to treat HIV infection and AIDS, and 2 of nirmatrelvir, which prevents the Covid-19 protein from replicating. In clinical trials, only 0.77% of Covid patients treated with Paxlovid required hospitalisation and there were no deaths reported. 6.31% of those who received a placebo were hospitalised and 13 died.
According to Somsak, Paxlovid should be given to high-risk Covid-19 patients who have not yet developed symptoms or who only have mild symptoms. People in the high-risk category include those over the age of 60 and people with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, and people with compromised immune systems.
The DMS is currently using 2 other antiviral treatments in Covid-19 patients, molnupiravir and favipiravir, and took delivery of another 2 million molnupiravir tablets over a week ago.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
