Still Treating Yesterday's Risk? Reconsidering Antiviral Use for Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 Cases in a Broadly Immune Population
This short perspective paper in the Medical Journal of Australia compares the COVID-19 landscapes in Australia and New Zealand, focussing on prescription rates for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antivirals, and evidence of impacts on health outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
Abstract:
"Antivirals for mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were adopted for use based on trials in unvaccinated adults during the pre-Omicron period. In today's broadly immune populations, where the risk of hospitalisation and death has decreased substantially, there is a lack of high-quality contemporary evidence to support routine antiviral use for mild-to-moderate disease. Comparing the Australian and New Zealand experiences in the evolving COVID-19 landscape highlights differences in policy and prescribing practice. Treatment guidelines should be informed by systematic evaluation of emerging data, given uncertainty regarding antiviral effectiveness in a context of widespread immunity and milder disease, which have altered the balance of risks and benefits."
Mudrik‐Zohar, H., Cutfield, T., Morpeth, S., Hills, T., Duffy, E., Edwards, L.J., Cheng, A.C. and Tong, S.Y.C. (2026). Still Treating Yesterday’s Risk? Reconsidering Antiviral Use for Mild‐to‐Moderate COVID-19 Cases in a Broadly Immune Population. Medical Journal of Australia, 224(7). doi:10.5694/mja2.70241.
