Doctors finding hurdles to using pills to treat COVID-19 [View all]

Source: Associated Press

Doctors finding hurdles to using pills to treat COVID-19

By TOM MURPHY
March 21, 2022

High-risk COVID-19 patients now have new treatments they can take at home to stay out of the hospital — if doctors get the pills to them fast enough.

Health systems around the country are rushing out same-day prescription deliveries. Some clinics have started testing and treating patients in one visit, an initiative that President Joe Biden’s administration recently touted.

The goal is to get patients started on either Pfizer’s Paxlovid tablets or Merck’s molnupiravir capsules within five days of symptoms appearing. That can prevent people with big health risks from growing sicker and filling up hospitals if another surge develops.

But the tight deadline has highlighted several challenges. Some patients are delaying testing, thinking they just had a cold. Others have been unwilling or unable to try the new drugs.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-science-business-health-eebb8cbe3b0e7ae16eafefb5abc85d2d