December the 12th, 2021 - Covid treatment is set to arrive in Croatia, 1,800 doses of it to be more precise. The first doses are due to come at the end of the month, reports Dnevnik Nova TV.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this covid treatment is based on monoclonal antibodies which are are intended for people who have become unwell and have not developed a more severe clinical picture since contracting the infection, but have some indications that it could go in that direction. This was explained Tihana Slezak from the Croatian Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED).
Such drugs are effective if given within the first five days of the onset of the illness in the case of coronavirus. "It will be provided in hospital conditions in such a way that the patient will be in the hospital for about an hour or two while receiving this medicine and then they will be able to take care of themselves back at home," explained Professor Ivan Puljiz from the Fran Mihaljevic Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb.
Three drugs for covid treatment have been approved
A total of three drugs were approved for the treatment of the novel coronavirus. Two drugs used to treat other diseases have also been approved for use in patients with coronavirus. There are also two antiviral drugs in capsules that have been written about a lot - Merck and Pfizer. These two drugs are also intended for those who are at risk of developing a more severe form of the disease. "They can be used at home. They will be given on a prescription following a consultation with a doctor,'' noted Slezak of this covid treatment.
Croatia is currently negotiating the purchase of these two drugs. "Depending on the number of interested countries and the estimated total quantities of the medicine, the European Commission (EC) is negotiating at the European Union (EU) level a price that is unique for all countries participating in the joint procurement process and that has not been determined yet," they stated from the Croatian Ministry of Health.
''Merck is not something spectacular in the sense that it would be the final solution to the coronavirus pandemic,'' explained Dr. Ivo Ivic from the Clinic of Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital Centre in Split: "It will be very expensive. One therapy will cost around 500 euros. We'll be able to talk more about that part of the story later,'' he said.
''There's a possibility that some of the drugs, such as the one based on monoclonal antibodies, and such as those arriving in Croatia at the end of the month, will mean that the patient will need to sign a statement before using them,'' said Puljiz.
"It simply came to our notice then. It hasn't yet been defined, but I assume it will be the case. The drugs which are given orally will not need signatures,'' he said.
The only therapies given to try to treat a more severe clinical picture of the disease at this moment in time are oxygen, corticosteroids and some other drugs that work to reduce inflammation and drugs that prevent blood clotting.
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