In a statement yesterday, Pharmac announced Ronapreve and other drugs will be available for use in DHB hospitals from February 1.
"Ronapreve can also be used in hospital for patients with Covid-19 who have mild to moderate symptoms and are at high risk of progressing to severe disease," Hughes said.
Hughes said reports showed Ronapreve was successful in treating those with the Delta variant and that Delta was still prevalent in New Zealand.
"While the focus is understandably shifting to Omicron, Delta has not disappeared. Delta is still around, and it is still the dominant form of COVID-19 in many countries," he told the Herald.
Ronapreve belongs to a class of medicines called monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs.
They mimic the natural antibodies that the immune system makes to fight disease. Pharmac has secured enough Ronapreve to treat 5300 people, with "medium-to-severe" symptoms.
While the evidence is less clear and still emerging for its use in treating Omicron, Hughes said Pharmac was continuing to work as quickly as possible to assess the latest evidence as it becomes available.
Hughes said getting vaccinated and boosted remained the best defence against Covid-19.
Medsafe acting group manager Derek Fitzgerald said they were aware of the change in recommendations by the FDA and that "Medsafe is following usual, best practice on this matter by obtaining more information".