SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 29 April 2022 – From 1 May 2022, PAXLOVID™ (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets) will be available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
PAXLOVID will be available on the PBS for certain high-risk patients with mild-moderate COVID-19 disease not requiring supplemental oxygen for their COVID-19 and where treatment is commenced within five days of the onset of symptoms.1
Pfizer Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Anne Harris, said the listing was another important milestone in the fight against COVID-19.
“While vaccination remains the most effective way to help prevent COVID-19, we know we need to tackle the virus on many fronts. PAXLOVID provides an important second line of defence for those most at risk.
“Simpler access to PAXLOVID means patients can access this important oral treatment at home,” Ms Harris said. Pfizer Australia and New Zealand Medical Director, Dr Krishan Thiru, said “PAXLOVID is a first-of-its-kind oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 specifically designed to combat SARS-CoV-2.
“This antiviral treatment works by slowing or stopping the virus from replicating, which may help reduce the risk of significant health consequences seen more commonly in people at higher risk.
“It’s important to get tested for COVID-19 at the first sign of symptoms, especially for people at higher risk. If they are COVID-19 positive, they can seek medical advice quickly and find out what treatment may be appropriate for them,” Dr Thiru said.
PAXLOVID is an oral treatment taken twice-daily for five days. It should be taken as soon as possible after a diagnosis of COVID-19, and within five days of symptoms appearing.1
Adults who have mild to moderate COVID-19 – confirmed by a COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test result or a verified Rapid Antigen Test (RAT)2 – and who can start treatment within five days of symptoms appearing, can be prescribed PAXLOVID by their doctor or nurse practitioner if they are:
- 65 years of age or older, with two other risk factors for severe disease (as increasing age is a risk factor, patients who are 75 years of age or older only need to have one other risk factor)
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and are 50 years of age or older with two other risk factors for severe disease, or • moderately to severely immunocompromised.2
PAXLOVID was provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on 18 January 2022, for the treatment of adults with COVID-19 who do not require initiation of oxygen and who are at increased risk of progression to hospitalisation or death.
PBS Information: Authority Required (STREAMLINED).
Category: GENERAL – General Schedule (Code GE).
For verified SARS-CoV-2 infection. Treatment must be initiated within 5 days of symptom onset.
Refer to PBS Schedule for full authority information.
This medicine is subject to additional monitoring. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. Patients can help by reporting any side effects they may get. Patients can report side effects to their doctor, or directly at www.tga.gov.au/reporting-problems.
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