Ray of hope for Australians hospitalised with coronavirus as new drug that promises to help the most seriously ill patients is provisionally approved for use
- Federal government provisionally approved drug to help very ill Covid patient
- Sotrovimab to be made widely available in hospitals from next week for patients
- Will help between eight and 13 per cent of patients, vaccinations still preferred
Australian Covid-19 patients seriously ill in hospital with the virus will soon have access to a new treatment that could prevent death.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Friday the provisional approval of Sotrovimab – making it available for use in hospitals next week.
He said the monoclonal antibody mimics the body’s immune system and is likely to help between eight to 13 per cent of patients.
‘So it’s not a result for everybody, but it’s particularly likely to help those who are at risk of progressing to very serious illness,’ Mr Hunt said.
‘It is the first – but not last – treatment that’s likely to improve prospects.’
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Friday the provisional approval of Sotrovimab, making it available for use in hospitals across Australia from next week (pictured, a patient with Covid in Sydney)
Mr Hunt said it will be the one of many treatments which will help the health prospects of sick patients with Covid-19
The treatment will be administered through an IV infusion in approved healthcare facilities.
The antibodies bind to the virus, stop it entering host cells and help fight off already infected cells in the lungs and airways.
Clinical trialist Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases specialist and clinical microbiologist at Mater in Queensland, said the treatment will help those most vulnerable to the virus.
‘New treatment options have the potential to keep people out of hospital, prevent their disease from progressing and reduce the burden on the health system,’ he said.
Australia is the first OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] country to issue a formal regulatory approval for sotrovimab.
The drug has also been approved for use in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s approval of the treatment, under strict conditions, will target those who are at increased risk of hospitalisation or death.
It is expected that sotrovimab will be for the treatment of Australians over 55 years old who have Covid-19.
Sotrovimab is administered through an IV drip (file image) and works by getting antibodies to bind to the virus, then stops it entering host cells and also helps fight off already infected cells in the lungs and airways
Vaccination remains the preferred and primary option to prevent Covid-19, supported by mask-wearing, hand-washing and social distancing.
The government has secured 7700 doses of sotrovimab for the national medical stockpile.
It is the second Covid-19 treatment to receive regulatory approval in Australia, following the TGA’s earlier approval of Remdesivir.