It is feared that Australia will be left behind if it does not immediately secure supplies of COVID drugs at a time when other countries begin to shift their focus from vaccination to medicine.
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which has reached an agreement with the Singaporean Government to supply a promising drug, said the Australian Government’s position was not clear about purchasing the drug from them.
Currently there is only one type of drug that has been widely used for COVID patients in various countries, namely a steroid called Dexamethasone, which treats pneumonia.
However, this drug is only effective in patients suffering from severe symptoms and receiving oxygen support.
Health experts say Australia’s plans to get out of the pandemic and treat COVID as the common cold will, of course, require medication, particularly to treat milder but more contagious symptoms.
Associate Professor Steven Tong is a researcher at the Doherty Institute and chair of the Australasian COVID-19 Trial (ASCOT), which evaluates the care of COVID patients.
According to him, although the proportion of the population that has been vaccinated is quite high, there will always be patients who end up in the hospital.
“So for such groups of people, we really need medicine so that it can reduce their risk of getting very severe diseases,” said
“(Despite vaccinations) There is a great and urgent need that we have better care for COVID patients,” said Dr Steven Tong.
“Even if 80 per cent of Australia’s population is vaccinated, the vast majority will still be susceptible to the disease because they are either resistant to the vaccine or choose not to be vaccinated.”
Dr Tong said ASCOT is currently focusing on anti-coagulant drugs to stop COVID patients from developing blood clots.
He said a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies had been successful in treating COVID patients who had recently contracted the disease and were the most contagious.
“This drug has been approved for emergency use in the United States now. Patients diagnosed with COVID early in the community can come to the clinic or have a nurse come home for an infusion of these antibodies,” he explained.
Asked whether the Australian Government should immediately secure the stock of this monoclonal antibody drug, Dr Tong said, the sooner you get it, the better.
Very scary for people with immune disorders
Image: The COVID-19 pandemic is frightening for organ transplant recipients like Jane Fletcher. ABC News: Daniel Fermer
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Studies from the United States and Australia show that more than one million Australians are severely immune. This means that the COVID vaccine may not be effective for them.
These people include transplant recipients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and others taking medications that suppress the immune system.
A 2018 Australian study showed that 20 per cent of the population — about 5 million people — may have a moderate level of immunity.
People with compromised immunity are at greater risk of dying when they catch COVID.
The scenario of treating COVID the same as the common cold was terrifying for them.
This was acknowledged by Jane Fletcher, a recipient of a lung transplant.
“At the end of 2019, when people started talking about what was happening in China, I told my husband it would be really bad for me. That’s how it is,” Jane said.
“This is a very scary time for me,” he added.
She had received her first shot of Pfizer vaccine, but didn’t know if she would be protected even after the second dose.
Jane encourages the government to proactively seek therapeutic care as soon as possible.
“Vaccination is important, if we get herd immunity. But we also need to know that people will still catch COVID and there must be treatment available,” he said.
Image: Dr James McMahon from Alfred Hospital in Melbourne said Dexamethasone had been shown to be effective in treating severe COVID patients. ABC News: Sean Warren
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Dr James McMahon from Alfred Hospital in Melbourne said from his experience dealing with patients, Dexamethasone was very effective in treating severe COVID patients.
However, he said, there is a need for drugs that are safe and easy to administer to treat earlier and milder cases.
According to Dr McMahon, the fact that monoclonal antibodies need to be given intravenously could be problematic, but these drugs are still a promising option.
“It (Dexamethasone) is an important option, but I think we also want to have other options,” said Dr McMahon.
He said there are currently many trials underway to identify drugs that are effective when a person is newly infected.
“Drugs that can be taken as tablets, are very safe and do not need a lot of monitoring. If we have these three things, it will be a big breakthrough,” he said.
Australia is not sure to buy antibody drugs
Currently one of the new monoclonal antibody drugs – manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) – is being evaluated by the drug regulatory agency for “accelerated use” in Australia.
The Singapore government has signed a purchase agreement for the drug, called Sotrovimab, and it has been approved for emergency use in the United States.
The European Union has also purchased doses of another monoclonal antibody called Regeneron. This drug was used to treat former US President Donald Trump when he contracted COVID-19 last year.
In a statement to the ABC, GSK said it was trying to deliver the drug to COVID-19 sufferers in Australia.
“GSK wants to partner with the government in reaching this agreement, which will be an important step to ensure access,” he added.
Image: Opposition health affairs spokesman Mark Butler urged the government to immediately extend the purchase of COVID drugs. ABC News: Matt Roberts
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Opposition health spokesman Mark Butler said the Australian government should immediately conclude a COVID drug purchase agreement, despite the absence of final drug regulatory approval (TGA).
“So, in addition to the approval process that authorities like the TGA will go through, I hope the government is proactive, quick to ensure that we will get supplies of whatever drugs are eventually approved,” he said.
The Department of Health said in a statement to the ABC it would act on guidance from government advisers including the Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group (SITAG) and the Clinical Evidence Taskforce.
“The Australian government holds regular meetings with various developers and manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs,” a MOH statement said.
“These talks are commercially confidential. We are monitoring ongoing clinical trials and reviewing the effectiveness of vaccine launches,” he said.
“Any investment in COVID-19 drugs will be subject to advice from SITAG, and clinical evidence assessment, including portfolio diversification and risk,” he said.
Produced by Farid M. Ibrahim from ABC News article.
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