Pharmac is widening access to Covid-19 antivirals to people who are vulnerable to severe infection from Covid-19, including those with disabilities and with one or more severe health conditions.
From 1 October 2023 the access criteria to Covid-19 antiviral treatments will be widened to include:
- people receiving disability support services
- people with one or more severe health conditions that have resulted in severe frailty or vulnerability.
The decision covers all treatments currently available including nirmatrelvir with ritonavir (branded as Paxlovid), remdesivir (branded as Veklury), and molnupiravir (branded as Lagevrio).
Pharmac has now published its own list of conditions that identifies:
- people at high risk of severe illness from Covid-19 infection
- people who are severely immunocompromised.
Read more about Pharmac's decision to widen access to Covid-19 antivirals.