Paxlovid coronavirus medication will be available in Estonia from September and those risk group patients who test positive will be able to request a prescription.
"The corona medication Paxlovid will most likely reach Estonians in September, but there may be a slight delay," said the head of the Health Board's (Terviseamet) emergency unit Ragnar Vaiknemets. Earlier reports indicated that Paxlovid could arrive in Estonia during this summer.
Estonia will receive Paxlovid from Pfizer through a joint EU procurement deal.
Vaiknemets said the new medication is intended for people who are at high risk of developing severe coronavirus.
"It is a new generation of medicine that acts as a preventative measure, similar to Tamiflu. After a positive Covid test, a family physician may prescribe Paxlovid to a patient," said Vaiknemets.
The drug is can be taken at home, as opposed to Remdesivir, which is administered intravenously in hospitals.
Vaiknemets was unable to predict the cost of a course of Paxlovid for the patient at this time.
Remdesivir, which has been mostly used as an effective corona medicine in Estonia up to this point, is still available in stock until the end of 2022, totaling about 10,000 doses. "This is considered to be sufficient," Vaiknemets said. "The doses are delivered to hospitals where they were most needed."
Remdesivir is a treatment for patients who require additional oxygen. The physician will then prescribe the intravenous medication Remdesivir.
"Remdesivir minimizes the length of hospital stays; the patient is able to stop using supplemental oxygen sooner," Vakilkmets said.
In addition to Paxlovid, also Lagevrio, a new generation oral cardiac medication, is on its way to Estonia, which is expected to be available in Estonia following European marketing approval.
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