Can I now get a script to take to the chemist for tablets to treat COVID?
The answer is YES for some people in some situations. It is very exciting and encouraging that treatments are now available for COVID that reduce the risk of going to hospital or dying from the virus. They are now becoming more widely available but can’t be used by everyone.
There are currently three treatments that can be organised through your GP. Two of these are available through pharmacies.
Do I need to start this medication early?
Yes. You must start these treatments in the first 5 days of having COVID for the medications to be effective. In the early days, the virus hijacks your cells to make more viruses to infect more cells. It is important to stop new virus from being made or effective before your body has a chance to have a harmful response to the virus, which causes many of the complications of COVID.
Who can get these medications on a script from the pharmacy?
People who are eligible from 11 July include those who are:
- 70 years old or older
- 50 years old or older and you have two risk factors for more severe illness from COVID
- 30 years or older and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and you have two risk factors for more severe illness from COVID
- You are immunocompromised and 18 years or older
Risk factors for more severe illness include:
- living with disability with multiple conditions
- neurological conditions like stroke or dementia and demyelinating conditions e.g. multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- lung problems like COPD or moderate or severe asthma
- problems with your heart, including heart failure, coronary artery disease like heart attack, stents or angina, cardiomyopathies
- obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2)
- diabetes type 1 or 2, requiring tablets or Insulin
- Kidney disease
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Being very remote (if you are travelling)
What are the three available medications?
Sotovimab has to be given as an IV infusion or through a drip.
Your GP can organise the IV infusion through the local health district
Paxlovid is a combination of two drugs Nirmatrelvir and Ritonavir. It is in tablet form.
Unfortunately, Paxlovid interacts with many medications, including heart tablets, cholesterol tablets, and some antihistamines, epilepsy medications and many more. Your doctor will check the list to decide if this medication is safe for you.
Information if you are taking Paxlovid
Molnupiravir (Lagevrio) is in tablet form.
This medication is very teratogenic or harmful for a developing foetus. It cannot be taken by anyone pregnant or planning pregnancy. Men who use this medication must not get anyone pregnant for at least three months.
If you meet the set government criteria, your doctor can write a script for this tablet and you can get it from your local pharmacy.
Information if you are taking Lagevrio (Molnupiravir)
I am planning to travel. Can I BUY a pack of molnupiravir from my pharmacy?
If you don’t qualify for the government script for Molnupiravir. (For example, you don’t have covid or one of the underlying illnesses); You can buy a course of molnupiravir from the pharmacy on an ordinary script not subsidised by the government. It will set you back around $1000.
Are these medications equally effective?
All these medications decrease admissions to hospitals in unvaccinated people with the Delta strain of COVID.
There are no trials directly comparing the medications. However, for 1000 patients with COVID that received treatment compared to those that did not receive treatment, there were 57 fewer hospitalisations with Paxlovid. Sotrovimab was associated with 43 fewer hospitalisations and Molnupiravir with 29 fewer hospitalisations.
Who cannot have these treatments?
- They are not available for anyone less than 12 years old.
- They cannot be used if you have had COVID for more than 5 days or if you need oxygen therapy.
- Only sotrovimab can be used if you are pregnant or aged 12-18 years
Do I have to show proof that I have COVID to get these treatments?
Yes, you do need proof that you have COVID. The proof can be
- an SMS message from NSW Health saying you have a positive COVID 19 test
- an email from Service NSW sent to you after you registered a positive RAT test
- if your GP has been notified by NSW that you have COVID
What is the take-home message?
It is very promising that these new treatments are becoming more available and will undoubtedly improve over time.
They need to be taken within the first 5 days of having COVID and are not available to everyone.
These medications do not in any way replace the need to be vaccinated, including your booster shot.
Photo by Julia Zolotova on Unsplash