The Public Health Ministry plans to allow private clinics to purchase and prescribe the antiviral medication molnupiravir for Covid-19 patients, as private hospitals already do.
Health permanent secretary Kiattiphum Wongrajit said on Monday as the ministry has set a target to declare Covid-19 an endemic disease, it has distributed molnupiravir to private hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients free of charge. Private hospitals could also purchase additional antiviral medication to treat patients.
To get more people access to antiviral medication, the ministry’s emergency operations centre decided to allow private clinics to also purchase molnupiravir to treat patients, he said.
"The meeting assigned health deputy permanent secretary Dr Thongchai Keeratihatthayakon and Dr Thares Krasanaiyarawiwong, director-general of the Department of Health Service Suppport, to work out the framework for private clinics [to purchase molnupiravir]. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation will acquire more of the medication.
"In the future, drugstores maybe be allowed to prescribe molnupirvir by following the Department of Medical Services’ criteria, that the antiviral medication be prescribed to patients in the yellow category [moderate symptoms] and those with more severe symptoms," Dr Kiattiphum said.
Currently, three companies were registered with the Food and Drug Administration to supply molnupiravir, he added.
Dr Kiattiphum said it was not necessary for all infected patients to be given antiviral medication. Patients showing only mild symptoms should be prescribed medication based on their symptoms, or be given fah talai jone (green chiretta).
Antiviral medication such as favipiravir, molnupiravir, remdesivir, paxlovid or LAAB antibodies (AstraZeneca's Evusheld) that would arrive in Thailand next week would be prescribed by doctors based on the severity of symptoms and indications set by the Department of Medical Services, the health permanent secretary said.
These antiviral medicines must be prescribed by medical practitioners only, he said. People trying buy it themselves may get fake medication that would put their lives at risk, he warned.
