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NZ experts looking at 'promising' experimental Covid-19 drug

This story was updated after the Ministry of Health provided further information.

The Ministry of Health says an expert group is looking at a US experimental drug which the maker says shows promising signs in combatting hospitalisations and deaths among people with Covid-19.

Drugmaker Merck said Saturday that its experimental pill, molnupiravir, for treating people sick with Covid-19 reduced hospitalisations and deaths by half in a trial.

The study tracked 775 adults with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 who were considered to be at higher risk for severe disease because of health problems such as obesity, diabetes or heart disease.

The company told the Associated Press it would ask health officials in the US and around the world to authorise the pill's use it what would be the first medicine in a pill form that's shown to treat the deadly virus.

Patients take four pills twice a day for five days.

"This would allow us to treat many more people much more quickly and, we trust, much less expensively," Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University who was not involved in the research, told the Associated Press.

Jacinda Ardern says Medsafe has been in talks with Merck “for some time”.

On Monday, a Ministry of Health spokesperson told 1News "at this stage, no plans have been made to order the Merck experimental pill".

In an updated statement on Tuesday, they said: "In fact, the Govt is actively looking at the purchase of a range of medicines including antiviral drugs to fight Covid-19".

"The medicine isn’t currently approved by Medsafe, but is being looked at by the expert group established to consider treatments NZ may need to get access to."

No medicine will be made available for public use in New Zealand until Medsafe complete their assessment and it has been approved or provisionally approved. 

Across the ditch, Australia has closed a deal for 300,000 courses of the antiviral pill.

AAP on Tuesday reported that pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp and Dohme will supply the courses should the pill be given a green light by Australia's medicines regulator, and it could be made available as early as the first quarter of 2022.

According to the publication, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the drug would join other Covid-19 treatments including sotrovimab and remdesivir already available in Australia.

"While our vaccination rate continues to climb, we've been investing in and closely monitoring research into Covid-19 treatments and we are securing supply of promising treatments," he said.

But for now, New Zealand is pushing getting the population vaccinated against Covid-19.

"Getting vaccinated is the best way for New Zealanders to protect themselves, their whānau and communities from Covid-19," the ministry spokesperson said.

The drugmaker has developed a pill to combat the virus.

"The vaccine helps prevent you from getting infected and having Covid-19 symptoms, or severe illness. This means you could have no Covid-19 symptoms or will have much fewer, milder symptoms and recover faster."

In a statement on Tuesday, National's Covid-19 Response spokesperson Chris Bishop said the molnupiravir study was "incredibly encouraging and should prompt the New Zealand Government to urgently contract for this drug and other next generation Covid treatments".

"There are a range of next-generation game changing Covid treatments being developed like molnupiravir, ronapreve and sotrovimab but New Zealand is falling behind other countries in securing supplies of these exciting treatments," he said.

"Our first line of defence is of course vaccination but there is no doubt that New Zealand will want to access these treatments, which are increasingly being approved by regulators worldwide."

Bishop said it was "inexcusable" that New Zealand wasn't among the countries making moves to order the treatment.

"The Government should get on with it. These treatments are potential game-changers and the last thing we want is for New Zealanders to get sick with Covid-19 and not have access to exciting new treatment options."

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