Corona tablets can prevent illness and death. Norway has still not received them.
Both Sweden and Denmark have bought the corona tablets Paxlovid. Norway is betting on the EU – and must wait until Christmas.
The corona tablets Paxlovid can prevent deaths and admissions. They are already in place in the USA, Sweden and Denmark, among others.
In Norway, we were promised that they would arrive in autumn, but the tablets have not yet arrived. Now it may be towards Christmas before we get them. Assistant director of health Espen Rostrup Nakstad confirms this to Aftenposten.
The reason that Norway has still not received them is that the EU’s negotiations with the manufacturer Pfizer have stalled. Norway buys the tablets via the EU.
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Paxlovid provides a 79 percent lower risk of death in people over 65, according to a large Israeli study. It is mentioned in The New York Times, among others.
– These are medicines we would have liked to have had for the vulnerable groups earlier, says senior doctor Sigurd Hortemo at the Norwegian Medicines Agency.
Both Denmark and Sweden have purchased Paxlovid directly from Pfizer. Sweden received its deliveries in June, while Denmark received its first shipment on Thursday.
The National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden confirmed at the beginning of October that the EU has negotiation problems.
– As far as Paxlovid is concerned, it has dragged on a lot, I have to say that, says Hortemo about the EU’s procurement scheme.
It will take about months before Norway gets the corona tablets through the EU, according to Nakstad.
– Should Norway have taken action to get Paxlovid earlier?
– It has proven very beneficial to stand together in the procurement of vaccines. We believe that the risk groups who need it should also enjoy Paxlovid throughout the winter season, says Nakstad.
189 deaths since August
Treatment with Paxlovid must start quickly after you have been diagnosed with corona. The cure lasts for approx. five days, with three tablets twice a day. The treatment will be a supplement to vaccines, which are the most important protection against corona disease.
In Norway, Paxlovid will offer people in risk groups. They may have a reduced immune system or old age combined with serious underlying diseases. The aim is to prevent these being admitted to hospital. The number of admissions can be reduced by over 80 per cent, according to some studies.
Since 1 September, 662 people have been hospitalized with corona as the main cause in Norway. In the same period, 189 people have died from corona. Most of the people who die are elderly people who live in institutions, according to Nakstad.
It is difficult to answer how many deaths the use of Paxlovid can prevent, he believes. It is also medically complicated to use the tablets, because they can be affected by other medicines the patient may be using.
Several of those who will be able to receive Paxlovid treatment in Norway do not belong to the oldest age groups. They will not necessarily become critical, but they will be able to avoid the need for hospitalization to a greater extent, he explains.
In June, the plan was to order Paxlovid to treat 50,000 patients. But the development of the pandemic means that something less than this is ordered, Nakstad explains.
Get tablets before the wave, believes Nakstad
– Probably few of those who died in October would have fallen into the target group for Paxlovid treatment, says Nakstad, who takes the caveat that he does not know every single disease picture.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) is tracking a winter wave this year. How big it will be is hard to say.
– We think we will get Paxlovid in good time before a possible winter wave, says Nakstad.
With today’s low level of infection in society, the Paxlovid target group is not at risk, Nakstad believes. That may change.
– If very many Norwegians become infected over the winter, many in the target group will also become infected and may develop serious, treatment-strengthening illness.