Paxlovid coronavirus medicine
On this page, you can assess whether you belong to any of the groups eligible for the Paxlovid treatment started by the treatment units in specialized medical care at HUS and what you have to do to receive the medicine.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has determined the extended target groups for the new coronavirus medicine Paxlovid. On this page, we provide instructions on how to begin the treatment for those groups of patients who are monitored in specialized medical care at HUS and receive Paxlovid through the treatment units. The medicine can be given to certain cancer patients and to patients who are immunocompromised because of their illness or medication. Our treatment units will also inform these patient groups independently about the possibility to start Paxlovid treatment.
What is Paxlovid?
Paxlovid is a 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. The medicine is taken orally. 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. 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 from a treatment unit in specialized medical care at HUS if
- you are aged 18 or over and
- you have a coronavirus infection that has been diagnosed in a PCR or antigen coronavirus test conducted in a laboratory (book a time for the test in the koronabotti.hus.fi service) and
- any symptom or symptoms of the coronavirus disease (check the symptoms here) and
- you belong to one of the groups listed below and are being monitored in these treatment units because of your illness
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 have severe renal insufficiency (eGFR below 30ml/min), also includes dialysis patients
- you take a medicine that interacts with the drug ingredients of Paxlovid (drug interaction).
Target groups for the medication among certain patients monitored in specialized medical care at HUS
1. Severe immune system disorders and cancer patients
You must be aged 18 or over. You vaccination background does not affect starting the medication.
- less than 6 months from autologic 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
- less than 1 year from anti-CD20 antibodies (rituximab, ofatumumab, obinutuzumab)
- myeloma under active treatment
- BTKI (ibrutinib)
- CAR-T cell treatment within the past 12 months
- the spleen has been removed or severe hyposplenism
- allogenic 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
- less than 6 months from autologic 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)
- 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.
- severe inherited antibody deficiency (such as CVID, XLA and combined immune deficiencies)
- HIV and the level of CD4 helper cells is below 0.200
Paxlovid cannot be used in organ transplant patients because of the interactions caused by the anti-rejection medication and Paxlovid. Contact your treatment unit.
2. Pulmonary diseases
- you must be aged 18 or over. Unvaccinated persons and those who have received one vaccination dose are eligible for the medication.
- severe chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis.
- asthma treated with continuous oral cortisone medication.
- you must be aged 40 or over. Unvaccinated persons and those who have received one vaccination dose are eligible for the medication.
- severe or moderate sleep apnea
- obesity-hypoventilation syndrome and the body mass index (BMI) is over 40
- asthma treated with continuous medication (other than cortisone medication taken orally)
3. Immunosuppressive medication for an autoimmune disease
You must be aged 40 or over. Unvaccinated persons and those who have received one vaccination dose are eligible to have the medication.
If you have oral cortisone medication or other medication weakening your immune system (cytostatic drug treatment, biological medicines or other immunosuppressive medicines) because of your illness and you have a rheumatic disease, such as
- ankylosing spondylitis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- arthritis
- vasculitis
- a systemic rheumatic disease (such as SLE, myositis, systemic sclerosis, MCTD)
- severe chronic liver disease (Paxlovid medicine may be contraindicated, the physician will assess whether the treatment can be started)
If you have oral cortisone medication or other medication weakening your immune system (cytostatic drug treatment, biological medicines or other immunosuppressive medicines) because of your illness and you have a bowel or liver disease, such as
- autoimmune liver diseases
- ulcerative colitis
- Crohn’s disease
If you have oral cortisone medication or other medication weakening your immune system (cytostatic drug treatment, biological medicines or other immunosuppressive medicines) because of your illness and you have an autoimmune skin disease, such as
- psoriasis
- severe atopy
- vasculitis
- other autoimmune skin diseases
How to get the medicine from your treatment unit
You must meet all of the above-mentioned criteria for the target group of the medication so that it will be possible to assess whether the medication can be started. The medication should be started as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms and within 5 days from their onset at the latest.
Patients monitored by the Comprehensive Cancer Center:
- contact the Hematology Outpatient Clinic at the Comprehensive Cancer Center on 09 471 71600 during office hours and Ward 7A Hematology on 09 471 77580 at weekends/on public holidays.
Patients monitored by the Comprehensive Cancer Center:
- during office hours, contact your own treatment unit.
- 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.
Patients monitored by the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Triangle Hospital of Helsinki University Hospital:
- contact the centralized telephone service of the Inflammation Center on 09 471 75200 (callback) during and outside office hours.
Patients monitored by the Helsinki University Hospital Department of Pulmonary Diseases (Triangle Hospital, Peijas, Jorvi):
- contact your treatment unit through the HUS switchboard 09 4711 during office hours.
Asthma patients monitored by the Helsinki University Hospital Skin and Allergy Hospital:
- contact the centralized telephone service of the Inflammation Center on 09 471 75200 (callback) during office hours.
Patients monitored by the pulmonary outpatient clinics of other hospital areas (Hyvinkää, Lohja, Raseborg):
- Raseborg: contact the nurse at the Pulmonary Outpatient Clinic on 019 2242850 during office hours; between 1 and 26 August 2022, contact the following number: 019 2242420
- Lohja: contact requests tel. 019 3801 373 during office hours (callback, select 2/nurse).
- Porvoo: during office hours, contact tel. 050 427 7077.
- Hyvinkää: you can contact the Pulmonary Outpatient Clinic’s call-back number on weekdays 8:00–12:00, tel. 019 4587 4640
Patients monitored by the HUS rheumatology outpatient clinics (Triangle Hospital, Jorvi, Peijas, Lohja, Porvoo, Hyvinkää, Raseborg):
- contact the centralized telephone service of the Inflammation Center on 09 471 75200 (callback) during and outside office hours.
Patients monitored by gastroenterology at HUS Abdominal Center (Triangle Hospital, Jorvi, Peijas, Lohja, Porvoo, Hyvinkää, Raseborg):
- contact the IBD nurse on 09 471 75070 (callback) during office hours.
- contact the nurse on the inpatient ward on 050 428 7069 during and outside office hours.
- NOTE! Medicine deliveries only during office hours during the closure of the Inpatient Ward for Skin Diseases from July 9 to August 7, 2022.
Paxlovid cannot be prescribed by private clinics and the medicine is not available on prescription in private pharmacies.
The target groups mentioned on this page also cannot receive the medication from health centers.