A second oral anti-viral medicine for people with COVID-19 will be available in the community on prescription from tomorrow.
Molnupiravir (trade name Lagevrio) was granted provisional approval for use by Medsafe last month. Paxlovid, the first oral antiviral available to treat COVID-19 in Aotearoa, arrived in April.
There is already a good supply of both medicines available through a network of pharmacies across the country. Both antivirals are an important step in the Omicron response.
They reduce the risk of severe illness and hospitalisation in people who are at higher risk of poor outcomes from COVID-19 infection.