Datuk Dr Philip Raja
MIRI (Oct 8): Adding Molnupravir antiviral drug into the arsenal against Covid-19 infections will be a boon for health authorities in the country to save more seriously ill patients in Category 4 or 5, said a senior doctor here.
The drug has been approved by the US health authorities to treat coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19), prevent progression to severe illness and block transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
“If it (Molnupravir) is effective, then it’s a game changer. We can save those patients in categories 4, 5 and in critical care,” said Datuk Dr Philip Raja.
He was asked on the announcement yesterday by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin that Malaysia had signed a letter of undertaking to purchase the antiviral drug Molnupiravir, developed by Merck Sharp & Dohme.
Through the agreement, the government agreed to procure 150,000 complete treatment packages (patient courses) to treat Covid-19 patients.
This is in preparation for Malaysia’s transition to the endemic phase of living with the Covid-19 virus by adding new innovative treatment options as a ‘weapon’ to fight Covid-19, in addition to the use of vaccines and other public health measures.
Dr Raja said the concerted rollout of Malaysia’s national immunisation programme (PICK) has been instrumental in putting the lid on death toll and serious cases which would have been significantly much higher without it.
Another 9,890 Covid-19 cases were reported yesterday, marking the fifth day in a row that Malaysia’s cases have been below the 10,000-mark, with Sarawak continuing to top the table with 1,413 cases recorded, which are mostly in Category 1, 2 and 3.
Dr Raja concurred with the view that the ministry adopts two-pronged approach of vaccination and antiviral drugs to lower the Covid-19 disease burden for greater impact in prevention and control of virus transmission.
A study conducted by Merck Sharp & Dohme found that Molnupiravir reduced ward admission rate by 50 per cent and was also effective on more potent variants of the Covid-19 virus such as gamma, delta and mu.
Khairy in a statement yesterday said although Molnupiravir drug is effective, it does not mean that the vaccine is no longer needed as it reduces infections and severity of infection.
He cautioned that Molnupiravir, however, cannot prevent infection and it is only beneficial for those who are already infected with Covid-19.
from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3mQkpIv
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