Malaysia to distribute oral antiviral drug from Pfizer to 110,000 high-risk patients

Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the Paxlovid pills are set to arrive later this month. PHOTO: REUTERS

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A total of 110,000 patients in Malaysia will receive the first batch of Pfizer's oral antiviral drug Paxlovid, when it arrives in two weeks, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Saturday (March 5).

He said the first phase of the procurement would be given to high-risk individuals.

"The Paxlovid antivirals from Pfizer are set to arrive later this month, with the agreement finalised with the drugmaker last month.

"If we find the use of the drug to be as effective as (stated in) the information we have received, we will increase the purchase order for Paxlovid.

"There are two more (drugs) that we will buy (namely) Molnupiravir, and another from AstraZeneca, but this has not been finalised," he told reporters after attending an event.

Explaining further, Khairy said the oral drug was in addition to the use of vaccines in combating the pandemic, especially among high-risk individuals.

"We have also consulted physicians to create the best clinical care pathways to treat those admitted with Covid-19 while reducing the mortality rate," he said.

"This has allowed us to push forward with recovery and shift the focus of public healthcare to non-Covid-19 cases as well," he said.

Meanwhile, in his speech earlier, Khairy suggested a new feature in the MySejahtera application which would allow the public to pledge to become organ donors.

Malaysia has fully vaccinated 78.9 per cent of its population, with 45.8 per cent receiving a booster shot.

Malaysia logged a record high of 33,209 Covid-19 cases on Friday amid the Omicron wave. Officials have said that 99 per cent of recent cases were either asymptomatic or mild.

The country on Wednesday reported total deaths of 115 from Covid-19, a five-month high. Mr Khairy has said that 91 per cent of those who died from Covid-19 had not taken a booster dose.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.