Just 70 people get new Covid-19 treatment in Ireland

Monoclonal antibodies treatment Sotrovimab, from GSK, is an infusion given through a drip in hospitals, but it is not necessary to stay overnight for this. 

Just 70 people have been given a new Covid-19 treatment in Ireland, the HSE has revealed.

Monoclonal antibodies treatment sotrovimab, from GSK, is an infusion given through a drip in hospitals, but it is not necessary to stay overnight for this. 

It should be given within five days of symptoms starting.

The first delivery of about 1,000 doses arrived on January 20, with the expectation this would be used to treat people who are especially vulnerable to severe illness from the virus.

“There is another delivery of sotrovimab expected to arrive later this month. All hospitals in Ireland have access to supplies of sotrovimab,” a HSE spokeswoman said.

The HSE set up a therapeutics advisory group, chaired by two co-leads of the HSE’s National Infectious Diseases Programme, and they decide on which patients should benefit from the treatment.

This includes people who are immunocompromised, people who have been treated with rituximab within the past 12 months, or who have been taking more than 40mg a day of prednisolone steroids for more than a week, and pregnant women who have underlying health conditions.

However, Michael Rynne, spokesman for blood cancer support group CLL Ireland, said it was “disappointing” to see so few treatments given here.

Department of Health data shows 126,134 extra vaccine doses given by Monday to immunocompromised people, with some people needing three doses to be considered fully vaccinated and then receiving an additional fourth dose as a booster.

“Only 70 doses administered considering that there are over 600 patients in hospital with Covid,” Mr Rynne said, and called for a plan to inform patients of their eligibility.

Slow pace of delivery

He was critical also of the slow pace of delivery of the antiviral treatments.

“We want things in place like the antivirals so we can re-join the community, no one is advising vulnerable people how they can live,” he said.

Ireland could receive two types of antiviral mediation, Paxlovid, manufactured by Pfizer in Ireland and Lagevrio, made by MSD/Merck, through an EU deal at a cost of about €90m.

“The HSE will communicate availability of oral Covid-19 antivirals in Ireland as soon as delivery dates are confirmed,” the spokeswoman said.

However, Mr Rynne is frustrated because British patients are already using antivirals. This is through an NHS system to make home deliveries from hospital pharmacies if a doctor thinks it is appropriate.

“I would love the HSE to do that, but the big issue is they wouldn’t be able to do it because the data isn’t collected on patients, they don’t know who the patients are,” he said. 

“I don’t think they could even contact the list of blood cancer patients to send the information out.” 

Ireland does not have a central patient database although it has been much discussed as part of a move to digitalise the health services and create electronic health records for everyone. 

This caused delays at the start of the vaccine rollout when the HSE did not know how many people might, in groups known as cohort 4 and cohort 7, be classed as vulnerable to the virus because of their health conditions.