State-licensed pharmacists can prescribe oral COVID pill Paxlovid, Wisconsin DHS says
MADISON (WKBT) — State-licensed pharmacists now can prescribe the COVID-19 oral antiviral pill Paxlovid to eligible patients, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
The approval is the result of the federal Food and Drug Administration’s revision of the Emergency Use Authorization for the prescription for the Pfizer pill, with certain limitations to ensure patient assessment, the DHS announced in an update Monday.
Individual pharmacies will decide whether they are willing to offer prescription writing to the public, according to the update. The DHS advised checking pharmacies’ websites or calling ahead of time to see whether they offer the service.
Prescriptions continue to be available from doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, according to the DHS.
The state agency urged people who have tested positive for COVID-19 through lab tests or at-home tests to contact a doctor, health clinic or local pharmacy to see whether a COVID-19 treatment can reduce your risk of developing severe symptoms.
Paxlovid must be started within five days of the first symptoms. Those seeking Paxlovid prescriptions from pharmacists should be prepared to provide access to their health records from the past 12 months. They also should take a list of all prescription and non-prescription medications they are taking so the pharmacist can check for any drug interactions.
In clinical tests, the COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid reduced rates of hospitalization and death by 88%.
Pharmacies that have the treatments can be found on the DHS website.
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