Blog

COVID Antiviral Treatments

COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. In fact, infections in WA are set to peak over the coming weeks. The good news, however, is that there are now life-saving oral antiviral treatments available to help those most at risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

In this month’s blog, we take a closer look at what treatments are available and how they work.

What are antiviral treatments?

Antivirals are a class of drugs that help the body fight certain viruses that cause disease. They can help prevent severe symptoms developing and reduce transmission. They are already used for a number of illnesses, including influenza, HIV, hepatitis B & C, and some viruses that cause eye infections and warts.

Antivirals can be administered orally or by intravenous drip, injection, eye drops or as topical ointments and creams.

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has recently approved the use of two oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 – Lagevrio and Paxlovid.

As noted by the Australian Government Department of Health, these treatments have been found to be effective in treating people with mild to moderate COVID-19 who have a high risk of progressing to severe disease, reducing admissions to hospital and ICU and potential death.

How do they work?

Lagevrio, developed by Merck Sharp & Dohme, is based on an antiviral originally developed for influenza. It works by inhibiting replication of the COVID-19 virus. It was the first antiviral approved by the TGA for use in Australia.

This antiviral is taken as four pills every 12 hours for five days; however, it is not recommended for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is also recommended that sexually active men and women use contraception at least 3 months after taking Lagevrio.

Paxlovid, developed by Pfizer, is a three-dose medication that comprises separate tablets of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. The nirmatrelvir component blocks the activity of the enzyme needed to replicate the virus, while ritonavir helps to prevent the nirmatrelvir from breaking down in the liver, so that it can work for longer.

This antiviral treatment is also taken twice a day for 5 days and is not recommended for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding or those with severely reduced kidney or liver function. It is also important to note that Paxlovid must not be used with a number of commonly used medicines as it can lead to potentially harmful increases in blood levels or reduce its effectiveness.

For maximum benefit, both antivirals must be taken within the first five days of developing symptoms, or as soon as possible after a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 for those aged 70 and over.

Are there any side effects?

Both antivirals have reported some side effects in clinical trials.

For Lagevrio, a small number of people reported mild to moderate diarrhoea, dizziness and nausea, while side effects for Paxlovid have included food or drink tasting differently, diarrhoea, headache, nausea and vomiting.

In clinical trials of Paxlovid, it was found to be 89% effective in reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death among people with COVID-19 who were at high risk of severe illness when they were treated within five days of the onset of symptoms. While this trial happened before the Omicron variant, early research from the US does suggest that Paxlovid offers some protection against Omicron for those at higher risk of severe illness and hospitalisation.

Who is eligible?

Not everyone is eligible to receive antiviral treatments for COVID-19. Those who are eligible include people:

  • aged 70 years and older;
  • aged 50 years and older, with 2 or more additional risk factors; and
  • aged 30 and over of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, with 2 or more additional risk factors.

Additional risk factors include:

  • Living in residential aged care.
  • Living with disability with multiple conditions and/or frailty.
  • Neurological conditions like stroke or dementia and demyelinating conditions (e.g. multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome etc.).
  • Chronic respiratory conditions, including COPD, moderate or severe asthma.
  • Obesity or diabetes.
  • Heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies.
  • Kidney failure or cirrhosis.
  • Living remotely with reduced access to higher level health care.

Those aged 18 years and over who are moderately to severely immunocompromised may also be eligible for antiviral treatments for COVID-19.

This video from the Australian Government Department of Health provides a good overview of the antiviral treatments available for use in Australia>>

Where can I get antivirals from?

For those who are eligible for the antiviral treatments for COVID-19, you will need to obtain a prescription for them from your GP.

Your doctor should be able to send the pharmacist your prescription electronically so that the antivirals can be delivered to your home or collected by a friend or family member while you isolating with COVID-19.

If you are a patient of Illawarra Medical Centre and have tested positive for COVID-19, and you believe you are eligible for antiviral medications, please phone us on (08) 9208 6400 and let Reception know. We can then book you in for a telephone consultation as soon as possible and assist you where we can.

Protecting yourself against COVID-19

Remember that the best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is to continue practising the standard COVID-19 health and safety measures that we are all now used to. This includes:

  • Staying up-to-date with your COVID-19 vaccinations.
  • Wearing a mask in all high-risk settings and where social distancing is not possible.
  • Practicing social distancing by keeping at least 1.5 metres or two arms lengths from others.
  • Maintaining good personal hygiene by washing hands often with soap and water, using hand sanitiser, and covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow.
  • Staying home if you are unwell and getting tested if you display any COVID-19 symptoms.

For the latest COVID-19 information, visit https://www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus

If you have any queries or concerns about COVID-19, call the Coronavirus Information Helpline on 1326843.

If you are concerned about any COVID-19 symptoms or require antiviral treatments, please make an appointment with one of our GPs. Bookings can be made online or by phoning (08) 9208 6400.

For more information on this topic, visit: