Biden’s ‘test to treat’ covid plan draws praise, questions

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Biden’s ‘test to treat’ covid plan draws praise, questions

Mon, 2022-03-07 18:49 — mike kraft

Biden’s ‘test to treat’ covid plan draws praise, questions The program will start in hundreds of locations next week with the goal of increasing access to lifesaving treatments, Biden officials say. Katie Shepherd Washington Post

Consumers will be able to walk into a clinic at a CVS or Walgreens, get tested for the coronavirus and, if the results come back positive, go home with a free course of antiviral medicine under a “test to treat” program announced by President Biden (last) week as part of his new pandemic road map.

The one-stop approach has been hailed as a potential breakthrough by some doctors, who say it will make it far easier for people at heightened risk of severe disease to get the lifesaving drugs quickly — especially for those who don’t have regular doctors. But the American Medical Association came out strongly critical of the plan Friday afternoon, saying prescribing decisions should be made “under the guidance and supervision of physicians with expertise to deal with complex medications.”

And many puzzle pieces — including having adequate supplies of antiviral drugs and rapid tests — must fall into place for the program to scale up quickly as envisioned in the president’s plan.

“The overall goal of the program is to increase access to lifesaving treatments that need to be given quickly to be effective,” said Tom Inglesby, senior adviser to the White House coronavirus response team.

The program aims to streamline the process for people with underlying conditions to obtain either Pfizer’s Paxlovid or Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ molnupiravir. Both drugs significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization and death if they are taken within five days of the onset of symptoms. In clinical trials, Pfizer’s pill was shown to be nearly 90 percent effective at keeping high-risk patients from developing severe illness. Merck’s drug reduced the risk of

Administration officials said in interviews that they are confident they have sufficient supplies of both the pills and test kits to launch the program in hundreds of pharmacy locations, as well as in community health centers and long-term-care facilities, beginning next week. They say the antiviral drugs have already been bought by the federal government and will be provided free.

“At this point, we have enough Paxlovid and molnupiravir to provide the medications,” Inglesby said.

The debate over who is best-positioned to prescribe the drugs stems in part from concerns the medications are inappropriate for some people. Pfizer’s pill cannot be taken alongside several common medications, including some that treat heart conditions and control cholesterol. It is also not recommended for people with severe kidney or liver problems. Molnupiravir does not have known drug interactions, but it is not recommended during pregnancy or for those younger than 18 because it could affect bone and cartilage growth. ...

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