Public awareness of COVID-19 antiviral drugs is so poor that a pharmaceutical company has launched a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to boost their uptake.
Medicines Australia chief executive Elizabeth de Somer said public awareness campaigns were needed “as there appears to be a growing level of complacency in the community” and that both government and industry should play a role. MSD’s “Plan for COVID” campaign, developed by marketing agency Paper & Spark, launched online and on primetime television across channels 7, 9, 10 and SBS on Sunday, but had to be tweaked overnight after Butler announced eligibly was being expanded.
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged over 30, people with risk factors and immunocompromised adults are also eligible under the expanded PBS access.The former Coalition government ordered 1.3 million courses of antivirals – 1 million Paxlovid and 300,000 Lagevrio – but to date only about 73,000 patients have received them through the PBS. The drugs were previously only administered through hospitals.
Australian Medical Association vice president Chris Moy said anyone with risk factors should get a PCR test at the first sign of any COVID-19 symptoms, such as a runny nose or sore throat, to ensure they were able to start taking antivirals promptly.Merck Sharp & Dohme , the maker of antiviral Lagevrio, is rolling out a public awareness campaign.
Is it any wonder awareness is so poor. Governments have had huge restrictions on their use where they probably could have saved many lives
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