GOV’T APPROVES USE OF LAGEVRIO

[Anchor Lead]

The amount of Paxlovid antiviral pills used in Korea surged more than four times in the past three weeks as infections are snowballing in high-risk groups. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has decided to approve Merk's oral antiviral pills Lagevrio for emergency use to meet the soaring demand for oral drugs among COVID-19 patients.

[Pkg]

This man in his 60s was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 11th. After testing positive, he had to wait four days to receive the oral pills.

[Soundbite] (Daegu resident) : "I was at the bottom of the list. I kept being pushed back and had to wait longer for the pills."

The number of patients receiving Paxlovid pills this month surged from 9,000 people in the first week to over 39,000 in the third week. The demand for anti-viral pills is soaring as infections in high-risk groups spiked due to the spread of the Omicron variant. Currently, the nation has Paxlovid pills to treat up to 61,000 patients. Even if additional supply for 44,000 more patients are brought in on Friday, it will take some time to distribute them, meaning some patients could have to wait even longer. The government has approved Merck's antiviral pills Lagevrio for emergency use. On March 26th, supply for 20,000 patients will be distributed. By the end of this month, antiviral pills for 80,000 more patients will arrive.

[Soundbite] Park Hyang(Central Disasters Management HQs) : "The pills will be prescribed to high-risk groups swiftly to offer them better protection."

Lagevrio pills are used to prevent severe illness in patients 60 and older who currently have mild or moderate symptoms. They are prescribed to those who cannot receive injections or take Paxlovid. The pills are not allowed for use in pregnant women and those who are younger than 18. Clinical trials show Lagevrio pills prevent hospitalizations and deaths by 30 percent, significantly lower than the 88 percent efficacy of Paxlovid. However, the criteria for prescribing Paxlovid are too complicated, making Lagevrio a viable alternative for minimizing the risk of serious illness in high-risk groups.