NY Times: The Power of Paxlovid

[Tomconroy]

Greater use of Paxlovid could substantially reduce the number of Covid deaths. Dr. Jha estimates that if everyone over 50 who has Covid was properly treated with Paxlovid deaths would drop from 400 to 50 a day. Should be no paywall



The Power of Paxlovid https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/briefing/covid-treatment-paxlovid.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqYhlSFUbBCbfR9kqoByAir_Ex6I9ijriNiWcVTNPyfhQG4GQ_0DTZKYlZ8c2237TYu59B4IVZa44yP5DbQsqQhO0o5CAldNacn5r-N_oAyZrj5zHGO00rmKvPzDlIqJ2yeHmtBneOzXvX6zPwDZ2clYe1Jhhd1Cv0HMPwr6UUbImn4kjgopyQ8xyVjwCZyKVv_D3Cx8YOd-ObB_U6wVeSPgOEHiI3obas-RcBV0UXVHWT3p_4nI_6cdcPr4VPqX-KR0ifKnukPxBUHwkDl7L_fThio63ovA

[W_HAMILTON]

1. I wonder why we can't basically give these out...

...to have on hand to use in case of a COVID infection? I imagine they won't expire for at least a year. Why not basically pre-prescribe them to at risk people so that if they take an at-home test and determine they have COVID, they can go ahead and start the regimen? Is it that risky to take? In assume not. Is it that expensive that it is cost prohibitive to have a supply on hand like that? That I don't know...

[Tomconroy]

2. My doctor wants me to have it on hand when I go to Ireland

later this year. I guess he'll just prescribe it in advance.

[W_HAMILTON]

4. Yes, that's what I'm referring to.

My elderly mom gets frequent UTIs and her doctor has been prescribing a course of antibiotics for us to have on hand if it seems like she is coming down with another one and it has been a HUGE help.

If so many lives could be saved by this drug, you would think that doctors would be doing something similar, since I know it is a very time sensitive treatment (if I remember correctly...).

[Celerity]

3. Paxlovid can have dangerous interactions with some of the most common medications for cardiovascular

disease, including certain statins and heart failure therapies, a new paper warns.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/10/12/health/paxlovid-drug-interactions/index.html

[Sympthsical]

5. Yes

I was standing in the kitchen yesterday (finishing up my ballot, oddly enough) when my partner came in with his pharmacy meeting on speaker. They were having this long three hour meeting about Paxlovid, supply, regimens, medication interactions, etc. I wasn't overtly listening, but I could tell there were a lot of moving parts into how hospitals and pharmacies handle it.

It can't just be thrown around like candy, and there are good reasons why they don't.

Sometimes I have a sneaking suspicion the media have not been as responsible as they should be in some of their medical reporting.

That Pfizer stuff in front of the European Commission this week was a giant ". . . what?"