Pfizer's 'Paxlovid' Arrives in South Korea on the Afternoon of the 13th

Pfizer oral COVID-19 treatment 'Paxlovid' [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment, Paxlovid, will arrive in South Korea on the afternoon of the 13th.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that Paxlovid is scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport via flight at 12:05 PM on the 13th. The arrived treatment will then be transferred to Yuhan Yanghang's Ochang logistics warehouse, which is responsible for domestic distribution, for storage.

Once Paxlovid is introduced domestically, it is expected to be prescribed mainly to high-risk groups such as unvaccinated elderly and patients with underlying conditions. Yuhan Yanghang will be responsible for supplying the oral treatment to 91 residential treatment centers and 281 designated pharmacies. Considering the characteristic of the treatment that it must be administered within 5 days of symptom onset, in the initial phase of introduction, delivery will be carried out by the responsible public health center staff using the existing method of delivering prescribed medications to COVID-19 home treatment patients. Subsequently, after consultations with local pharmaceutical associations, the designated pharmacies will take over this responsibility.