The Department of Health (DOH) said it would first conduct a review, together with local experts, before the government buys a supply of Ronapreve drug---a treatment used for patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The DOH made the statement after the country's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Ronapreve.
The department said "it will need a positive recommendation from the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) and Living CPG (Clinical Practice Guidelines) before the government procures the drug."
The DOH said that it “has been reviewing the use of Ronapreve together with experts who are continuously updating the Living CPG with regard to its use in the clinical management of COVID-19 patients," it said on Saturday, Oct. 9.
"Moreover, the health technology assessment has to be concluded before hospitals can place an order through the government. Ronapreve cannot be sold in the market since the government is the only one allowed to procure and distribute it," it added.
According to DOH, Ronapreve is a "monoclonal antibody drug to prevent and fight COVID-19."
The FDA released the EUA for Ronapreve last Oct. 1 and is authorized for confirmed mild to moderate COVID-19 patients aged 12 and above---- with a minimum weight of 40 kilograms "who do not need supplemental oxygen and are at high risk of progressing to severe cases."