Only 3% of Ontario’s COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid stock dispensed to patients
Posted April 4, 2022 7:12 am.
With Ontario’s COVID-19-related hospitalizations fluctuating in recent days, provincial government officials confirm only 2.9 per cent of the Paxlovid antiviral stockpile has been dispensed to patients since it was approved for use more than two months ago.
It was at the end of January when Ontario health officials announced the criteria for accessing the two-drug combination, which was deemed so successful at reducing hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk people not yet seriously ill with COVID-19 that Pfizer ended the trial early so it could start giving the treatment to a wider group of people.
When asked for an update on the status of handing out the multi-day courses of Paxlovid, Ontario government staff said in a statement to CityNews around 400 people were given the drugs through provincial COVID-19 clinical assessment centres and 755 treatment courses were sent to hospitals to treat patients in care.
However, they said more than 40,000 have been received from the federal government as of the end of March. In mid-January, federal government officials said 30,400 courses of treatment were received with approximately 120,000 more due to arrive by the end of March. Ontario was set to receive around 10,000 of the initial round of dispensing treatment courses.
CityNews asked why a low percentage of Paxlovid treatment courses were handed out and if patient eligibility might be expanded. A spokesperson said it is “one of multiple” therapeutics on hand to treat COVID and that it’s currently being dispensed at 26 regional sites with more to be added.
“Drug interactions may also limit the ability of Paxlovid to be prescribed safely,” the statement noted.
“The Ministry of Health continues to explore options to expand access and raise awareness among those who could benefit from Paxlovid.”
RELATED: Ontario government outlines guidelines for accessing COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid
The Ontario government’s prioritization for Paxlovid is for people with the “highest risk of severe outcomes” such as adults who are immunocompromised regardless of vaccination status as well as unvaccinated individuals who are 60 and older, Indigenous individuals who are 50 and older, and those who are 50 and older with one or more pre-determined risk factors.
In order to access the treatments, the government required a positive COVID-19 test despite reduced PCR test eligibility put in place months ago. Officials also noted the treatments need to be administered within five days of symptoms showing.
Paxlovid is a combination of two medications that must be taken together: Nirmatrelvir, which blocks an enzyme that the SARS-CoV-2 virus needs to reproduce, and ritonavir, a commonly used HIV treatment. In the Paxlovid combination, ritonavir slows down how fast nirmatrelvir breaks down so it can do its job for longer. Three pills must be taken twice daily for five days in a row.
When given within three to five days of symptoms, it was 85 to 89 per cent effective at reducing hospitalizations. No Paxlovid patients died while seven people in the study died after receiving a placebo.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief medical officer of health, said on Friday that COVID cases are still widely transmitted and there’s a risk of another resurgence of cases.
On Thursday, the total number of people in hospital for COVID crossed 800 — a number not seen since early March. However, on Sunday at least 763 patients were being treated (not all hospitals report data on the weekend). Some health professionals CityNews spoke with recently expressed concerns about a sixth wave of cases and another potential stretch of hospital capacity.
With files from The Canadian Press
