Will GPs prescribe the new ‘COVID-19 pill’?
The Federal Government has ordered 300,000 doses of molnupiravir on the condition it obtains TGA approval
Australia is buying 300,000 courses of a new antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 that could become the first early-stage treatment option for GPs.
The drug, molnupiravir, is still under TGA review and not expected to arrive in Australia — if it is approved — until next year.
But manufacturer MSD claims molnupiravir reduces the risk of hospitalisation or death by 50% in patients with comorbidities, such as obesity or diabetes, if administered within five days of symptom onset.
Whether GPs will be the ones prescribing the drug may come down to each state and territory, says infectious diseases physician Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake.
