The Food and Drug Administration has given the green light for clinics to purchase and prescribe molnupiravir and other antiviral drugs for Covid-19 patients.
Secretary-general Paisarn Dunkum said on Thursday that the FDA issued an announcement on Wednesday extending supplies of molnupiravir and other antiviral drugs to clinics under the Health Establishment Act.
Previously, registered suppliers could supply antiviral drugs only to public and private hospitals.
Dr Paisarn said antiviral medicines must be prescribed by medical practioners. Clinics could purchase antiviral drugs from companies which import them and are registered with the FDA.
FDA deputy secretary-general Supachok Tanwiwat said treatment of Covid-19 involved use of related medicines, including antiviral drugs.
Currently, there were many registrations with the FDA and almost of them were by private firms, Dr Surachok said.
Among them were three registrations for favipivavir, five for remdesivir, one for paxlovid and two for molnupiravir with the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) importing the drugs to support the Public Health Ministry, said the FDA deputy secretary-general.
All firms registered with the FDA that were importers of antiviral medicines could supply these drugs to state and private hospitals. Earlier, the five registered firms had supplied remdesivir to private hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients seeking treatment at the hospitals.
He insisted there had been no blocking or monopolising of the importation of these drugs.
Dr Surachok said the FDA issued the announcement extending the supply of these antiviral drugs to clinics to give the public more access to the medication..
On Wednesday, the Rural Doctors Society called on the government to end its monopoly on antiviral drugs, to ensure the country had enough to treat Covid-19 patients and bring down the price.