Paxlovid coronavirus medicine
On this page, you can assess if you are entitled to Paxlovid medication and what you need to do to get the medicine if your COVID-19 infection can be treated at home and you do not need hospitalisation.
What is Paxlovid?
Paxlovid is an oral coronavirus medicine used in outpatient treatment for people aged 18 or over and at risk of developing the severe form of COVID-19 due to illness, immunosuppressive medication, or age. Paxlovid prevents the coronavirus from replicating in the body of the infected person. The active substances in Paxlovid are nirmatrelvir (on the package: PF-07321332) and ritonavir.
The medication should be started as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms and within 5 days at the latest. However, Paxlovid medication started later than this may be useful for severely immunocompromised persons.
Paxlovid interacts with different drugs. Before starting the treatment, your other medication must be checked to exclude an interaction. The duration of the treatment is 5 days. Paxlovid is offered to you free of charge.
You may receive the medicine if
- you are aged 18 or over and
- you have a coronavirus infection that has been diagnosed in a coronavirus test conducted in a laboratory (see Coronavirus sampling points in HUS laboratories) or at-home test and
- any symptom or symptoms of the coronavirus disease (check the symptoms here) and
- you belong to one of the groups listed below.
You cannot get the medicine if
- you are under 18 years old
- you are pregnant (Note! Breastfeeding does not prevent you from getting the medicine, but you must discontinue breastfeeding for the duration of the treatment and for an additional 7 days after taking the last tablet.)
- you are hypersensitive to the active substances or the excipients (you will find the product label here)
- you have severe hepatic insufficiency (such as Child-Pugh Class C)
- you take a medicine that interacts with the drug ingredients of Paxlovid (drug interaction) according to a physician assessment.
Target groups for the medication among certain patients monitored in specialized medical care at HUS
Check below if you belong to any of the target groups for Paxlovid medication. The Paxlovid medication should be started as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms and within 5 days from their onset at the latest. See the contact information below.
Patients in target group 1: Contact the specialized healthcare unit responsible for your care or the HUS region’s centralized Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Mon–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
Patients in target groups 2–4: Contact the HUS region’s centralized Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Mon–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
1. Severe immune system disorders and cancer patients
Patients over the age of 18 regardless of previous vaccines.
Hematological patients
- Less than 6 months from autologous intensive treatment
- Treatment of acute leukemia or less than 6 months from the end of the treatment
- SAA and less than 6 months from the ATG treatment
- Anti-CD20 antibody therapy (rituximab, ofatumumab, obinotuzumab) has lasted less than 12 months, or immunoglobulin levels are low due to a previous rituximab therapy or another anti-CD20 antibody therapy.
- Myeloma under active treatment
- BTKI (ibrutinib)
- CAR-T cell treatment within the past 12 months
- The spleen has been removed or severe hyposplenism
- Allogenous stem cell transplantation on the following conditions:
- the patient does not take cyclosporine, tacrolimus or everolimus medication and
- less than 12 months has passed from the transplantation or
- more than 12 months has passed from the transplantation and the immunosuppressive medication continues
Contact the Hematology Outpatient Clinic at Comprehensive Cancer Center at 09 471 71600 during office hours, and Hematology Ward 7A at 09 471 77580 on weekends / public holidays.
Other cancer patients
- Less than 6 months from autologous intensive treatment
- CAR-T cell treatment within the past 12 months
- The spleen has been removed or severe hyposplenism
- Less than 1 year from anti-CD20 antibodies (rituximab, ofatumumab, obinutuzumab) or your immunoglobulin levels have remained low after your previous rituximab therapy.
- immunosuppressive cytostatic treatments: patients receiving immunosuppressive medication. In this case, the treatment unit will assess the advantages and disadvantages of the Paxlovid treatment. This group does not include persons who receive medication that does not weaken their immune defence. For example, hormonal adjuvant therapy for breast cancer or immuno-oncological treatment without cytostatic drugs are such medications.
On weekdays during office hours, contact the unit responsible for your care. If you get symptoms outside office hours, seek an assessment at the emergency clinic as normal, based on how you are feeling. If you feel well, contact your treatment unit on the following working day, but bear in mind that the treatment must be started within 5 days from the beginning of the symptoms. Sat–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m., contact the centralized Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453. They will consult Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Cancer that is actively treated (cancer or therapy that severely compromises the immune system).
Contact the HUS centralized Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Mon–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
Rituximab or other anti-CD-20 antibody treatment within 12 months for any disease, or low immunoglobulin levels following a previous rituximab or other anti-CD-20 antibody treatment.
Contact the HUS centralized Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Mon–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
- severe inherited antibody deficiency (such as CVID, XLA and combined immune deficiencies) or similar immune system disorder and APECED syndrome
- HIV and the level of CD4 helper cells is below 0.200
Patients monitored by the Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic at HUS Triangle Hospital:
Contact the centralized telephone service of the Inflammation Center at 09 471 75200 (callback service) Mon–Fri during office hours. Contact the HUS centralized Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Sat–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Heart and lung transplantations: An organ transplant specialist will assess individually if you can start Paxlovid with regard to possible drug interactions.
- Abdominal organ transplantations: An organ transplant specialist will assess individually if you can start Paxlovid with regard to possible drug interactions, but only if no other medication options exist.
Contact the unit responsible for your care.
2. Patients at a very high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 due to an underlying condition
Patients over the age of 18 regardless of previous vaccines.
- The kidney function value GFR is less than 30 ml/min (Doctor's assessment on starting the medication and necessary changes to the dosage of Paxlovid).
- Such as glomerulopathy or kidney injury related to an underlying condition.
Contact the Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Mon–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD, emphysema, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, long-term bronchitis (excluding asthma).
Contact the HUS centralized Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Mon–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
Target group 3:
Contact the HUS centralized Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Mon–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
Target group 4:
Especially if the person has underlying conditions that increase the risk of a severe form of the disease, such as type 2 diabetes (with organ complication), severe cardiac disease, or has not received the full series of COVID-19 vaccines and has not had COVID-19 disease. The risk for hospitalisation increases especially in persons aged over 80.
Contact the Paxlovid helpline at Mehiläinen tel. 09 8860 8453 Mon–Sun 9:00 a.m.–4 p.m.
Paxlovid cannot be prescribed by private clinics and the medicine is not available on prescription in private pharmacies.