The TGA has approved Australia’s first oral treatments for COVID-19. 

The antiviral treatments, molnupiravir (Lagevrio) and the combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (Paxlovid) have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for the treatment of COVID-19. 

The prescription-only medicines are designed to be taken twice a day for five days and they work by reducing the virus's ability to rapidly multiply. The medical regulator has made clear that the treatments are not a substitute for the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Existing treatments have involved using antibody and antiviral therapy intravenously, but because the new antiviral medications are administered orally, they can be used in the community setting and reduce the risk of going to hospital.

Experts say the approval is a big step forward in the nation’s battle with COVID-19. 

“Molnupiravir targets the machinery that replicates the viral genome, while Paxlovid targets the viral protease that is essential for infectivity and is formulated with ritonavir, which ‘boosts’ the therapeutic levels of the active drug,” says Associate Professor Jill Carr from Flinders University.

“These drugs are best prescribed to people who have contracted SARS-CoV-2 and are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, or may have an underlying condition that may have reduced their vaccine responses.

 “These agents are not a replacement for vaccination. 

“There may initially be limited supply, but the availability of these new drugs bodes well for offering clinicians treatment choices for those most at risk. 

“These drugs work very well in the initial viral phase of illness - the first few days, but will be of no benefit for patients already critically ill in hospital or on a ventilator.”

The TGA has also given provisional approval for Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine NUVAXOID.