Enough Paxlovid to treat Covid-19 in at-risk adults, but it's no longer free: MOH

There is enough supply of Paxlovid, an antiviral medication to treat adults at high risk of severe Covid-19, and the Ministry of Health (MOH) will release the stockpile only when the need arises.

- Judith Tan

However, Paxlovid is no longer free as MOH has stopped fully covering the costs of the drug in primary care settings and has been subsidising it under the Medication Assistance Fund since November 2024, the ministry told The Straits Times.

Pfizer's Paxlovid drug is an oral treatment that comprises two separate types of medication - nirmatrelvir, an antiviral medicine, and ritonavir, which helps keep nirmatrelvir active in the body at higher concentrations for longer to combat the virus.

Paxlovid was rolled out in phases in 2022 at selected polyclinics and Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) to high-risk patients to reduce their likelihood of hospitalisation.

These patients include those who are immunocompromised and undergoing treatment, the elderly, those who are obese, and those with active cancer or severe lung, heart or kidney disease.