Experts weigh govt plan to buy new anti-Covid drug, as 4 new infections reported

By The SUN 

Clinical trials show Molnupiravir is able to cut hospitalization of Covid-19 patients by half

Four new cases of Covid-19 infections were reported in Hong Kong today, Oct 4. All are asymptomatic and fully vaccinated.

Two of the patients flew in from the Philippines, one from Indonesia, and another from Egypt.

This came as experts weighed in on the government’s plan to buy 500 treatments, or about 5,000 tablets of the new oral Covid drug, molnupiravir.

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According to the head of the pharmacists’ association, the new drug from US company Merck & Co is effective and cheaper, and could help relieve the burden on hospitals if Hong Kong experiences a new outbreak of infections.

Molnupiravir is the first oral medication for Covid-19 to be released in the market, and costs US$700 (HK$5,460) for a five-day treatment.

Speaking on a radio program this morning, William Chui, president of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of HK, said the new drug is cheaper than Remdesivir, which is commonly used to treat Covid patients, and costs around HK$15,000 per treatment.

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Remdisivir was developed to combat the Ebola virus, but was later found to have beneficial effects on people infected with Covid-19.

Interim clinical results show molnupiravir can cut hospitalization by half.

However, University of Hong Kong microbiologist Ho Pak-leung advised the government to go easy with the new drug, saying trial results for it were still incomplete.

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Ho said vaccination is still the most effective way to prevent complications and deaths resulting from Covid-19.

Chui says HK should act quickly to secure the new drug 

Meanwhile, staff at the Department of Health said one of the arrivals from the Philippines is an 85-year-old male resident who arrived on Sept 29 via CX 906 while the other is a 29-year-old female domestic helper who flew in on 5J272.

The elderly man had the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the Philippines on Jul 26 and was staying at Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon when found infected.

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The helper received two doses of BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong on Aug 2 and Aug 30 and was in quarantine at Ramada Grand Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui when she tested positive on her third-day sample.

The Indonesian arrival is also a FDH who arrived in Hong Kong on Oct 2 via CX798 and tested positive on her arrival test. She received two Sinovac doses in Indonesia on Jun 30 and Aug 2.

The passenger from Egypt is a 67-year-old man who arrived on Sept 30 via KE607. He tested positive on day 3 of his quarantine at Sheraton Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. He received the Covishield vaccine in India on Apr 5 and Jun 22.

They took the number of cases to 12,230 confirmed infections.

The Centre for Health Protection reminded relevant persons in the following specified premises to undergo compulsory testing by tomorrow, Oct. 5:

1)  Aigburth, 12 Tregunter Path, Mid-levels

2)  7 Lyttelton Road, Mid-Levels

3)     Two Island Place, 55 Tanner Road, North Point (excluding the ground floor and L2 to L4 of Two Island Place)

4)     Tung Yik Building, 8 Yu King Square, Yuen Long

5)     Block 20, Fortune Garden, Tam Mei, Yuen Long

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