Although patients usually have a prescription in their hands when they stop at a pharmacy to take medication, a Niagara pharmacist said it might make more sense for patients to contact their pharmacy first if the medication they need is Paxlovid.
Because time is of the essence when using the drug to fight the coronavirus, said pharmacist Donnie Edwards, a board member of the Ontario Association of Pharmacists.
“The sooner you get this medicine after your symptoms, the better,” he said.
Edwards said the drug only works within five days of the onset of symptoms, and the earlier the drug is taken, the more effective it is. If people are waiting for doctor’s appointments, it may be too late to take advantage of the intake.
He said the long Easter weekend was an example of how access to medicines could be delayed.
“Doctors’ offices are closed tomorrow (Good Friday), many pharmacies are closed. And if someone comes in this afternoon in need of Paxlovid, they have to start within five days of the onset of symptoms, and you want that patient to get the medicine at the right time, ”Edwards said. “It’s important, the right drug for the right person at the right time.”
Although the drug requires a prescription, Edwards said “pharmacists can make it easier.”
The pharmacy, which Edwards co-owns in Ridgeway, is one of approximately 58 in Niagara that received limited supplies of Paxlovid after the province raised treatment conditions this week. There are 24 pharmacies in the entire region in St. Catharines, nine in Niagara Falls and eight in Weland and five in Fort Eri, which preserves Paxlovid, as well as several pharmacies in each of Niagara’s smaller communities.
Edwards said pharmacists first assessed whether patients were eligible for Paxlovid, including anyone over 70 who tested positive for the virus, people aged 60 and over with less than three doses of the vaccine, and people aged 18 and over. who are immunocompromised or have had less than three doses of vaccine and have at least one risk condition such as pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, heart disease or developmental disabilities.
If patients are eligible, he said pharmacists will contact the patient’s doctor or primary care provider and ask the doctor to write a prescription. Pharmacists can also help patients who do not have a family doctor.
Edwards said Paxlovid could interact with at least 100 other drugs, “and we want to make sure it’s safe for people to take.”
“As drug experts, I think we could advise a doctor or prescribe the best,” he said.
After all, if infections continue to increase with the demand for the drug, Edwards said, “it would be logical for pharmacists to simply be able to prescribe it and send a note to their (the patient’s) doctor, saying I have given Paxlovid for your patient. “
Despite expanded access to treatment, Niagara Acting Medical Officer Dr Mustafa Hirji said “major barriers remain”.
“There are still barriers in people who don’t know about treatment options, they don’t know they have to seek treatment as soon as they get sick, even when the symptoms are mild – it’s no longer effective a few days later when a person gets worse. “, he said. .
“The materials of the province are very difficult to treat, so those who do not speak English as a first language, who have a lower education, etc., will struggle to receive treatment. People without a family doctor will continue to have a huge barrier to receiving treatment. For people who do not have paid time for illness, they will struggle to find time to make appointments for treatment, and in the meantime they can work and spread the infection. “
Hirji said the province needs to better promote treatment, simplify information and processes to make it easier for people to receive care, increase transport support, ensure workers have current paid sick leave and ensure that people with high risk have access to primary care options.
Infections and hospitalizations, meanwhile, continue to rise in Niagara, with Niagara Public Health reporting 195 new cases on Thursday and 1,864 active infections.
Niagara Health on Thursday announced the death of a patient who was treated for coronavirus – the fourth this month. The hospital system said the Niagara resident died Wednesday. There are currently 64 people hospitalized with the virus, including five in intensive care.
Niagara Health’s Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control, Dr. Karim Ali, said that therapeutic agents for COVID-19 such as Paxlovid are also available to eligible patients at the Hospital System Clinical Assessment Center located at the site of Niagara Falls. However, appointments at the clinic are only available through referrals.
“We have come a long way in studying the virus and how to provide cutting-edge therapies to manage patients in our care,” he said in an email.
Ali said that patients with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 were evaluated for antiviral treatment options based on guidelines from the Ministry of Health and the Ontario Scientific Advisory Table on COVID-19.
Niagara Health is also administering an infusion of Remdesivir to eligible patients based on provincial criteria, he said.
“Extending the eligibility of patients from the Ministry of Health and supporting primary care providers to evaluate and prescribe antiviral drugs will allow more eligible patients to have access to this treatment,” Ali said.
Be safe during the Easter weekend
After watching the rise in COVID-19 infections after almost every long weekend of the past two years, Niagara Acting Medical Officer Dr. Mustafa Hirji is once again preparing for the increase as family and friends gather for the Easter celebrations.
“We are seeing an increase in COVID-19 in recent years after long weekends for this very reason. With the current sixth wave, there is a significant risk of infection spreading in these events, “Hirji said. “However, we now have more tools to make visiting them safer.”
Hirji advised:
- Make sure vaccinations are up to date before attending any Easter events, with three doses for most people.
- Don’t go to parties if you don’t feel well.
- If the event is bigger, do a quick test before attending to make sure you don’t infect others.
- Spend the holiday outdoors, where the risk of infection is reduced by better ventilation.
- Consider wearing masks for a bigger celebration.
- Also leave room for physical distancing, including allocating places to tables where people will eat, “to limit the chance of the infection spreading.”
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