THE WORLD HEALTH Organisation has today called on drugs manufacturers to ensure that a new Covid medication, sold under the name Paxlovid, makes its way to poorer nations. 

The WHO said the drug should be used for mild and moderate Covid patients at highest risk of hospital admission, calling it the “best therapeutic choice for high-risk patients to date”.

However, the WHO said that availability, lack of price transparency, and the need for quick testing before taking it, are “turning this life-saving medicine into a major challenge for low- and middle-income countries”.

The WHO recommendation is based on new data from two randomised controlled trials involving 3,078 patients.

The data found that the risk of hospitalisation was reduced by 85% following this treatment. In a high-risk group (over 10% risk of hospitalisation), that means 84 fewer hospitalisations per 1,000 patients.

The WHO has suggested against its use in patients at lower risk, as the benefits were found to be negligible.

One obstacle for low- and middle-income countries is that the medicine can only be taken while the disease is at its early stages. This means prompt and accurate testing is essential for a successful outcome with this therapy.

The WHO said it “is extremely concerned that — as occurred with Covid-19 vaccines — low- and middle-income countries will again be pushed to the end of the queue when it comes to accessing this treatment”.

In Ireland, the HSE has already started prescribing the drug to in-patients. 

The HSE said that the antiviral drug would be available through GPs at a later date, “following conclusion of a consultation process”.

The HSE has been working for several months to prepare for the availability of therapeutics for people with Covid-19 and how to introduce them to Ireland’s healthcare system to make them available to patients.

The HSE said: “Information was circulated this evening to acute hospitals with information on the product and its use, and consultation with GP representative bodies is at an advanced stage.