Doctors are warning new oral antiviral drugs, which have been dubbed a "game changer" when treating covid in vulnerable patients, will not be available to all who want them.
The Government has secured 60,000 doses each of Molnupiravir, manufactured by Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Paxlovid, made by Pfizer.
The first shipment of Paxlovid has arrived in the country and will be rolled out next week, but Molnupiravir is still undergoing Medsafe approval and isn't expected to arrive until sometime between April and June.
Some District Health Boards are struggling to deal with the wave of Omicron cases, and the number of deaths have increased - could this treatment have come too late?
And, are 120,000 doses enough to help those who need it the most? Dr Bryan Betty, Medical Director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and Pharmac's Chief Executive Sarah Fitt join Kathryn to discuss.
Pfizer in the making of its Covid-19 antiviral pills, Paxlovid, in Freiburg, Germany in 2021. Photo: Handout / Pfizer / AFP
