Federal regulators authorized state-licensed pharmacists Wednesday to prescribe the COVID-19 medication Paxlovid, enabling eligible patients to receive the medication over the counter.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration revised its Emergency Use Authorization for the medication, allowing licensed pharmacists to prescribe it to COVID-positive patients who present recent health records and a list of medications they take regularly.
Those who test positive for COVID are advised to primarily seek care from their normal health care provider or a “test to treat” site, which offer consultations with a physician who, if they determine it is medically necessary, can prescribe antiviral medication that can reduce the chance of serious illness.
However, Wednesday’s action will also allow state-licensed pharmacists at retail pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens to provide the medication.
“The FDA recognizes the important role pharmacists have played and continue to play in combatting this pandemic,” said Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
“Since Paxlovid must be taken within five days after symptoms begin, authorizing state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid could expand access to timely treatment for some patients who are eligible to receive this drug for the treatment of COVID-19,” she said.
Patients will be required to present health records from the last calendar year to review for potential kidney or liver problems and a list of medications they regularly take to rule out potentially harmful interactions with Paxlovid.
Pharmacists can also contact a patient’s regular physician or refer patients to a physician or a registered nurse to evaluate their eligibility for Paxlovid if they can’t present recent medical records.
I had covid and the dr gave me a perscription for paxlovid. No cost, the gov’t is picking up the cost. The issue to know is that you can get a relapse of covid after this drug has knocked it back for a week or so. Not much data on the % of folks this happens to. In the end, I didn’t take it.
Wasn’t sick enough to roll the dice on this medication. I’d talk to your Dr. before getting this stuff.
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“No cost, the gov’t is picking up the cost.”
Geez…
To plagiarize the Preamble to the Constitution, you mean; We the People of the United States are picking up the cost.
By People of the United States, I mean the 57%* who actually pay Federal Income tax.
Source: Robert Frank CNBC News FRI, MAR 25 20229:01 AM EDT
“57% of U.S. households paid no federal income tax last year…” – according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.
I learn something new every day. I didn’t know a pharmacist can write a prescription, and I was in health care for many years.
I think this is a bad idea..doubt pharmacists have time to review someones medical records from the past year…your own primary care doesn’t have the time to do it. And, many have not seen their primary care for over two years…
We are living in a medical bizarro world. “Vaccines” that don’t prevent anything, covid medicine that make you sicker, men who can menstruate and give birth, doctors censured for trying to do the best for their patients, legacy medical institutions manipulating studies to suit the approved narrative, pharmaceutical safety and efficacy studies performed by big pharma themselves, a million different genders…
+1
Paxlovid is known to either make symptoms worse or make Covid patients relapse. Dr. Fauci took it and got sick again and worse with Covid. He was vaccinated with two boosters. Yeah, I’ll pass. This is like a fire sale for the pharmaceutical companies.