New Therapeutics Approved in COVID treatment for TCI

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#UnitedKingdom, August 21, 2022 – After months of availability two new COVID-19 therapeutics are finally being added to the island’s roster of medications. Paxlovid and Mulnupiravir were both approved in cabinet for use in the Turks and Caicos last month.

Since the start of the pandemic the approved therapeutic on the islands has been Dexamethasone, and even as other countries including the UK expanded their treatment options the Turks and Caicos lagged behind.

In late 2021,  the UK had graduated to using at least five therapeutics to treat severe cases of Covid-19 while the TCI had only one.

Additionally on December 22nd the FDA approved Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill to treat non severe COVID for emergency use. Nine days later on December 31st the UK adopted the treatment.

Magnetic Media reported on the disparities in treatment options for Turks and Caicos Covid-19 patients in January 2022.

In a press conference in mid-January in response to Magnetic Media queries health officials said residents would continue to be administered Dexamethasone to treat Covid-19 and when asked about the possibility of the introduction of some of the then-recently approved treatments including Paxlovid, the TCI Hospitals said they were awaiting updates from Public Health England which should have come in the first quarter of 2022.

Weeks later in February, CEO of Interhealth Canada, Dr Denise Braithwaite-Tennant confirmed there was still only Dexamethasone in use as a therapeutic for the severe inflammatory response that COVID could cause.

“There is ongoing review of real life data… we have engaged through the Ministry of Health,  Public Health England to share their data especially on the post Omicron impact on these therapeutics. Once we have any updates we will provide an update.” She said.

That was nearly six months ago and on third of August it’s decided to add the two new therapeutics.

Molnupiravir, best for non-severe Covid-19 cases in individuals likely to be hospitalized was approved for emergency use in March by the FDA.

Magnetic Media has reached out to Health officials to get a concrete date on when the country is expected to have the doses of the two therapeutics in hand, so far, there has been no update.

Photo Caption: FILE PHOTO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment pill Paxlovid is seen in boxes, at Misericordia hospital in Grosseto, Italy, February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini/File Photo