Why the main antiviral medicine for COVID may be underused
As new mutations of the coronavirus omicron variant spread across
Medications such as Paxlovid, a federally approved
And a lack of information from the government makes it unclear how many doses have reached them.
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"I think there's plenty of Paxlovid available," said Dr.
"Much like the vaccine rollout, there has been hesitancy for both the community and the prescribers,"
About 2.1 million courses of the antiviral drug nationwide, including about 156,000 in
HHS reports online how many courses of Paxlovid it estimates are available in each pharmacy nationwide. But elderly people, who are among the most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19, may lack computer knowledge to find that information,
"My sense is Paxlovid is still underused relative to its value," Alexander said. "We are still missing lots of opportunities to use this product."
Supply of Paxlovid is plentiful
A lack of supply of the drug is not causing this issue,
"There is no reason to think that we have any shortages," the director of the state-run county
The pill is far more effective at preventing hospitalization and death than the only other one approved by the federal
Although Paxlovid was developed before the rise of omicron, it can fight illness caused by the BA.2 subvariant, laboratory tests conducted this past spring by Japanese scientists show. That strain, along with BA.4 and BA.5, comprise most infections across
Other medications that react with Paxlovid might be a problem
And yet, Del Rio and others say, doctors remain hesitant to prescribe the pill.
"It's something new and takes awhile to learn how to do something new," he said. Physicians also may be wary of prescribing the drug if it reacts unexpectedly with other medications their patients use, he added.
That's why Del Rio's organization put together a Paxlovid guide for physicians that
The
"Usually we have to make sure that the pharmacist clarifies (that the patient's) medication, specifically cardiac medication, may cause a potential interaction," Kiminyo said. Besides that, patients taking kidney medication may have to take a lower dose of Paxlovid than what is standard, he said.
Paxlovid is recommended for older people, the immunocompromised and the unvaccinated rather than healthier, younger or inoculated people, whose infections would be milder.
Those who test positive for COVID and are prescribed the drug should start taking it within five days of experiencing symptoms.
But Paxlovid might be ineffective for vaccinated people who catch COVID. Former
The nation's leading infectious disease expert Dr.
For those seeking Paxlovid treatment in
The federal government's Test-to-Treat Locator shows which pharmacies and clinics nationwide have doctors who can prescribe Paxlovid and a pharmacist who can fill the script at the same location.
The government's Therapeutics Locator shows an estimate of how many courses of the drug each pharmacy has in stock.
Another website showing such information is called "covid-safe." It can display Paxlovid availability estimates for every pharmacy in a county or state on a single, easy-to-read web page. The federal government's usually loads slower.
Covid-safe, developed by computer programmer
Dr.
Test-to-Treat locations in
Below is a sample of pharmacies offering COVID testing and medication in the same place. Find more at https://covid-19-test-to-treat-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com.
* Md Now:
*
* CVS Store No. 03854:
* CVS Store No. 05141:
* Md Now:
* Urgent Care Of The Palm Beaches:
* Md Now:
* CVS Store No. 17288:
* CVS Store No. 01821:
* CVS Store No. 07173:
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