COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Stock for 200,000 People... "Sufficient Contracted Quantity"

Possession of 101,000 Paxlovid and 99,000 Lagevrio doses

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Among the oral treatments (Paxlovid and Lagevrio) introduced in South Korea, about 150,000 doses have been used, and 200,000 doses remain.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 1st, as of 6:30 PM on March 31, 153,021 doses of Paxlovid have been used domestically, with 100,969 doses in stock. Another treatment, Lagevrio, has been used 2,110 times, with 98,690 doses remaining. The COVID-19 injectable treatment Veklury (Remdesivir) has been administered to 58,589 patients at 461 hospitals.

When asked why prescriptions for Lagevrio are lower compared to Paxlovid, Park Hye-kyung, head of the Disease Control Support Team, said, "There was also a period when Paxlovid prescriptions did not increase initially," adding, "It takes time for medical staff to use drugs they have not used before." Regarding the stock of Paxlovid, she said, "Currently, a sufficient quantity has been contracted, and efforts are underway to quickly introduce monthly supplies."

The usage of Paxlovid by prescription target is ▲home treatment 121,676 doses ▲living treatment centers 1,312 doses ▲infectious disease specialized hospitals 26,281 doses ▲others (military support, etc.) 1,052 doses. Lagevrio usage by prescription target is ▲home treatment 1,835 doses ▲living treatment centers 14 doses ▲infectious disease specialized hospitals 261 doses.

Regional Paxlovid stock is ▲Seoul 11,231 ▲Busan 3,987 ▲Daegu 2,542 ▲Incheon 3,685 ▲Gwangju 1,455 ▲Daejeon 1,271 ▲Ulsan 1,077 ▲Sejong 164 ▲Gyeonggi 10,449 ▲Gangwon 2,679 ▲Chungbuk 1,891 ▲Chungnam 2,623 ▲Jeonbuk 1,998 ▲Jeonnam 2,693 ▲Gyeongbuk 2,268 ▲Gyeongnam 3,565 ▲Jeju 971 ▲Central 46,420 doses.

For Lagevrio, the regional stock is ▲Seoul 5,267 ▲Busan 1,779 ▲Daegu 874 ▲Incheon 1,552 ▲Gwangju 461 ▲Daejeon 693 ▲Ulsan 359 ▲Sejong 187 ▲Gyeonggi 4,806 ▲Gangwon 1,230 ▲Chungbuk 1,259 ▲Chungnam 1,590 ▲Jeonbuk 755 ▲Jeonnam 1,276 ▲Gyeongbuk 1,089 ▲Gyeongnam 1,262 ▲Jeju 345 ▲Central 73,906 doses remaining.

Meanwhile, out of the 1,004,000 doses of COVID-19 oral treatments secured by the government, 460,000 doses are scheduled to be introduced by the end of this month. Of these, 184,000 doses were already introduced domestically in March, and the remaining 276,000 doses will arrive in South Korea during April.