Sask. to reveal distribution plan for COVID-19 prescription drug

The Government of Saskatchewan is planning to release details about distribution of a newly authorized oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment, later this week.

Paxlovid, a COVID-19 prescription medication developed by Pfizer, was approved by Health Canada on Monday.

“Note that this treatment, which is another tool in our fight against COVID is not yet available in the province,” Marlo Pritchard, the president of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, said during a press conference Tuesday.

“Eligibility criteria and distribution will be announced in the coming days.”

Pritchard noted there are no means to access the medication in Saskatchewan, until those details are announced.

“For most residents, this will not replace vaccinations. Fully vaccinated individuals are still less likely to get a severe case of Omicron, than the unvaccinated,” Pritchard said.

Paxlovid is the first oral and at-home COVID-19 prescription medication to be cleared for use in Canada.

The federal health agency said the prescription-only medication can be given to adults ages 18 and older to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, if they have a confirmed positive test and are at a high risk of becoming seriously ill.

“The authorization provides a new tool the toolkit against COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic, as we're faced with new variants. Importantly, it is a more accessible antiviral treatment for those at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19,” said Health Canada’s Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma, during a technical briefing discussing Paxlovid’s authorization.

The federal government announced it secured one million treatment courses of Paxlovid, with 30,400 full courses of the drug arriving in Canada over the weekend.

With files from CTVNews.ca