A new antiviral pill that dramatically reduces the risk of death from Covid-19 will be available from next week.
However the Irish Times reports Paxlovid will only be given to hospital inpatients - largely older people, at-risk unvaccinated or immunocompromised.
The first 5,000 doses arrived in Dublin on Wednesday following repeated delays.
The drug has been hailed as a “game changer” in the treatment of the disease and is made up of two different drugs, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. Pfizer carried out clinical trails which showed they were 89 per cent effective at preventing severe illness in unvaccinated populations, and 100 per cent effective at preventing death. For the drug to be most effective, it is advised to be taken within three to five days of developing symptoms.
Ireland is behind many other European countries and the US in providing access to new Covid-19 therapies.
Pfizer’s Irish sites at Ringaskiddy and Newbridge are key production locations involved in the manufacture of Paxlovid.
