Lacson prods FDA to act quickly on EUA

Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday urged the government to hasten the approval and procurement of scientificallyproven antiviral drugs like the molnupiravir in order to boost the country’s battle against COVID-19.

Lacson said the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) should be ready to grant an emergency use authorization (EUA) for these pills, so Filipinos would not be left behind again in having access to a possible potent medication against COVID.

“The permission itself must now be released. The FDA should be ready for it, so once it becomes available in the market, our national and local governments will be prepared to purchase and distribute it to our public hospitals,” Lacson said in Cabuyao, Laguna over the weekend.

Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, the biopharmaceutical companies behind molnupiravir, conducted successful clinical trials to treat highly transmissible COVID variants, which reportedly reduced the risk of hospitalization by 50 percent.

Lacson, who is running for president under the Partido Reporma, said such development is highly welcomed and appreciated, as it eases the pressure off both private and public hospitals with respect to treating severe to critical cases of COVID that could lead to death.

To drive home his point on the importance of unburdening hospitals and making COVID medications readily available to the public, Lacson shared the story of one of his staff members, whose life was threatened by the disease.

“My own staff dealt with COVID-19. He was in line, they were called ‘sitting patients.’ He could no longer breathe. He was in the hospital corridor, waiting for a room to get vacant. Fortunately, we were able to have him admitted at the San Lazaro Hospital,” he said.

“He was prescribed remdesivir, but was told that the medicine was not available in the pharmacy. Why? Why was it out of stock? Why does the poor patient have to be the one to buy it for himself?” he said.

Only four hospitals have so far been granted by the FDA to use molnupiravir for COVID patients under a compassionate special permit.

The agency has yet to act on the EUA filed for the potentially game-changing antiviral drug since October, according to reports.

Globally, only the United Kingdom has given widespread approval for molnupiravir.