Deal done to buy COVID antivirals

Canada is buying up to 1.5 million courses of oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 in anticipation of them being approved by Health Canada.

The government has signed up for an initial one million courses of antiviral treatment from Pfizer, once Health Canada endorses their safety and efficacy. The company submitted a request for approval to the federal drug regulator earlier this week.

Canada has also purchased 500,000 courses of Merck’s oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, with the option to purchase another 500,000 once Health Canada approves the drug.

“Access to effective, easy-to-use treatments is critical to reducing the severity of COVID infections and will help save lives,” Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi said Friday.

A stock of antiviral medications will complement vaccines in fighting the pandemic, she said.

Some experts have hailed antiviral drugs as a game-changer in treating the disease, since they are designed to block the enzyme essential for viral replication.

“If successful, oral antiviral therapies … may help to reduce the severity or onset of illness in adults who contract, or have been exposed to, COVID-19,” Pfizer Canada’s Kevin Mohamed said in a written statement Friday.

“An oral treatment option may thus be an important tool to help address the ongoing global impact,” Mohamed added.

Merck’s clinical trial showed a 50 per cent reduced risk of hospitalization or death compared to placebo patients with mild or moderate COVID-19, for example.

“This treatment will drastically reduce the risk of hospitalization for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people,” federal Health Minister Jean-YvesDuclos said Friday.