Government "Oral COVID-19 Treatment Contract to Be Completed This Month"... Expected Introduction Early Next Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The government announced on the 7th that it will complete the advance purchase contract for 404,000 doses of oral COVID-19 treatments within this month.

The treatments are expected to arrive in the country in the first quarter of next year and play a certain role during the 'gradual recovery to normal life' process.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) stated on the same day, "The government plans to secure 404,000 doses of oral treatments," adding, "For the 134,000 doses for which contracts have not yet been made, additional negotiations are underway and are expected to be finalized in November."

The CDSCH added, "The advance purchase of 134,000 doses is being negotiated with the three treatment developers: U.S. Merck & Company (MSD), Pfizer, and Swiss Roche, and purchases will be pursued considering the domestic and international treatment development status."

The government has been promoting the advance purchase of oral treatments to minimize the occurrence of critically ill patients during the 'gradual recovery to normal life' process. Among the 404,000 doses, contracts for 200,000 doses with MSD in September and 70,000 doses with Pfizer in October were respectively signed.

If the oral treatment purchase contract is completed within this month, the introduction of the treatments is highly likely to be in January to February next year, as the government hopes.

The government plans to prioritize 'home treatment' during the recovery process while concentrating medical resources on critically ill patients.

Whether to prescribe these treatments to home patients has not yet been decided. However, administering them to symptomatic or high-risk groups at home or in hospitals could reduce the usage rate of intensive care beds.

MSD's 'Molnupiravir' showed clinical results indicating that administering it within five days of symptom onset reduces the probability of hospitalization or death by about 50%, and Pfizer's 'Paxlovid' demonstrated that administering it within three days of symptom onset reduces the probability of hospitalization or death by 89%, and within five days reduces it by up to 85%.

The United Kingdom approved the use of Molnupiravir on the 4th, becoming the first country in the world to do so, and the United States will hold a public meeting at the end of this month to review the approval of Molnupiravir. Pfizer is also expected to soon apply for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.