Oral Treatment 'Paxlovid' Initial Shipment Arrives... Prescriptions Start Tomorrow

The oral COVID-19 treatment purchased from Pfizer by the government arrived on the 13th through the cargo terminal at Incheon Airport. The COVID-19 treatment "Paxlovid" that arrived on this day is part of the total 762,000 doses contracted with Pfizer, with an initial 21,000 doses delivered. An additional 10,000 doses are expected to arrive by the end of this month, and the doses introduced on this day will be prescribed to COVID-19 patients starting from the 14th. Photo by Airport Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The initial shipment of Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment, Paxlovid, enough for 21,000 people, arrived on the afternoon of the 13th through Incheon International Airport. The government plans to start prescribing it to patients from the 14th.

According to the quarantine authorities and Incheon Airport Corporation, the initial batch of Paxlovid was brought in via Asiana Airlines cargo flight OZ588, which arrived at Incheon Airport at 2:27 PM that day.

The treatment was delivered to Yuhan Yanghaeng's logistics warehouse located in Ochang-eup, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk Province, and will be distributed nationwide through Yuhan Yanghaeng, which is in charge of domestic distribution. Paxlovid will be supplied to 89 residential treatment centers and 280 pharmacies across the country on the 14th and 15th.

The treatment will be prescribed and administered to patients starting the next day. It is intended for mild to moderate cases at high risk of progressing to severe illness within 5 days of symptom onset, specifically for those aged 65 or older or immunocompromised individuals receiving home treatment or admitted to residential treatment centers.

Paxlovid is an antiviral medication that reduces COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality rates and must be taken within 5 days of symptom onset.

Home treatment patients can receive prescriptions after non-face-to-face medical consultations, with the managing medical institution sending the prescription to the designated pharmacy via fax or email. A caregiver of the home treatment patient can collect the medication from the designated pharmacy and administer it.

The government plans to import an additional 10,000 doses of Paxlovid by the end of this month. Previously, purchase contracts were made for 762,000 doses of Paxlovid and 242,000 doses of Merck's molnupiravir, totaling 1,004,000 treatment doses.

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