COVID-19 therapeutics available

With the increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases in the CNMI, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. assures that it has several COVID-19 therapeutics available, with several others going through processing and being prepared for transport to CHCC.

During a virtual news briefing yesterday, CHCC pharmacy manager Rodylyn Bacani said that CHCC currently has 400 vials of REGEN-COV for monoclonal antibody treatment of COVID-19. So far, CHCC has received 1,000 vials of REGEN-COV since August this year and has administered 561 courses of the treatment to eligible patients.

Another MAB treatment available through CHCC is Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab. Bacani said that CHCC currently has 104 course units available.

Called BAM/ETE, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the emergency use authorization of Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab used together to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in COVID-positive adult and pediatric patients who are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19.

Bacani said that 72 vials of Sotrovimab arrived yesterday. The FDA granted EUA for Sotrovimab in May this year. According to an FDA fact sheet, Sotrovimab is used for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in COVID-positive adult and pediatric patients—12 years old and older and weighing at least 40 kilograms—who are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19.

Also available through CHCC is the antiviral drug Remdesivir. Bacani said that CHCC currently has 100 vials of the treatment, and that 240 vials have been used so far.

In October last year, the FDA approved Remdesivir for use in adult and pediatric patients 12 years old or older and weighing at least 40 kilograms for COVID-19 treatment requiring hospitalization. According to the FDA website, Remdesivir is the first COVID-19 treatment to receive FDA approval.

For other therapeutics, Bacani said that supplies of Evusheld, Molnupiravir, and Paxlovid are now being processed and prepared for transport to CHCC.

Evusheld, which was developed by AstraZeneca, was granted EUA in early December for use as a pre-exposure prophylaxis in select adults and pediatric individuals.

Molnupravir and Paxlovid were granted EUA last week for use in adult and pediatric patients 12 years old or older and weighing at least 40 kilograms for COVID-19 treatment requiring hospitalization.

CHCC chief executive officer Esther L. Muña, who participated in the virtual news briefing yesterday, made clear that these treatments are not replacements for COVID-19 vaccines.

She also said that determining whether or not you qualify for these therapeutics is a discussion that needs to happen between you and your medical provider, and added that CHCC is working to get these therapeutics to immunocompromised individuals receiving treatment through CHCC.

The CHCC pharmacy is responsible for the ordering, procuring, and maintaining of the CNMI’s COVID-19 therapeutics.