The Therapeutic Goods Administration has extended the shelf life of a key anti-viral medication – Paxlovid – that was rapidly approaching its expiry date.

On Tuesday, the TGA published advice stating that it had extended the expiry date of various batches in Australia by six months, providing they met particular storage provisions.

The first batch of the drug had an expiry date of August this year, with the drug approved in Australia initially with a 12-month expiry date. Manufacturer Pfizer has advised health professionals that the six-month extension can be applied retrospectively to Paxlovid products manufactured prior to the TGA approval.

The government has been urging take-up of the anti-viral drugs amid the latest Covid surge, with more than 116,000 prescriptions so far administered. The health minister, Mark Butler, has been critical of the previous government for allowing the treatments to “gather dust” despite Australia ordering 1.3m courses of anti-viral drugs, comprising 1m Paxlovid and 300,000 Lagevrio.

https://www.theguardian.com/au....stralia-news/live/20