Pfizer Pills Arrive at Pharmacies... "Immediate Prescription for Severe Home Patients"

Supply to 89 Residential Treatment Centers
First 400+ Overseas Imported COVID-19 Cases

On the morning of the 14th, at a pharmacy in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, the oral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid was delivered, and a pharmacist along with a representative from the domestic distributor are checking the quantity.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

"I hope that severe COVID-19 patients receive their medication quickly so their condition does not worsen."

On the morning of the 14th around 9 a.m., a pharmacist at a pharmacy in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, who received Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment 'Paxlovid,' said, "We expect the COVID-19 situation to improve quickly with the introduction of this treatment."

He explained, "Prescriptions will be made immediately for severe patients among those receiving home treatment today," adding, "The COVID-19 treatment is stored at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius, just like other general medicines." The pharmacist also noted, "There are medications that should not be taken together with this treatment, so caution is necessary. Medical staff will initially verify this, but since St. John's Wort (for anxiety and depression) is sold as an over-the-counter drug, the pharmacy must also confirm this."

The treatments, which arrived at Incheon Airport via airplane the previous day, will be supplied over two days starting today to 89 residential treatment centers and 280 pharmacies nationwide. The initial batch of 21,000 doses introduced this time is part of the total 762,000 doses contracted by the government with Pfizer. An additional 10,000 doses will be introduced by the end of this month.

The treatment is prioritized for mild to moderate (between mild and severe) patients who are 65 years or older or immunocompromised, receiving home treatment or admitted to residential treatment centers. The medication must be administered within five days of symptom onset. It is not given to asymptomatic patients. Authorities plan to adjust and expand the target recipients based on future supply and patient trends.

Home treatment patients receive prescriptions via fax or email from their managing medical institution to the designated pharmacy after non-face-to-face consultation. Then, the patient's caregiver collects the medication from the pharmacy and administers it. The medication is taken twice daily, morning and evening, for five days, consisting of two pink pills (Nirmatrelvir) and one white pill (Ritonavir), totaling three pills each time. The pills must be swallowed whole and not chewed or crushed.

Previous clinical trial results showed that administering this treatment reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 88% in high-risk mild to moderate COVID-19 patients. A representative from the Yeongdeungpo-gu residential treatment center, which received the treatment today, said, "With the treatment arriving, the number of residents suddenly becoming critically ill will decrease," but added, "However, the internal system is not yet fully established, and we are currently in discussions with cooperating hospitals."

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight today, there were 4,542 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 683,566. The number of new cases is 376 more than the previous day’s 4,166 and 829 more than a week ago (3,713). Notably, imported cases reached 409, marking the first time the number has exceeded 400 amid the spread of the Omicron variant, setting a new record high.

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