Drugs to treat high-risk patients who are in very short supply as Omicron surge hits Maine

A main healthcare provider is needed as Omicron variants have pushed hospitalization to the highest levels of pandemics due to a national shortage of critical treatments to prevent high-risk COVID-19 patients from becoming seriously ill. Got a part of the supply.

State officials said Friday that the federal ration of major treatments this week (144 doses) was less than one-third of what Maine doctors prescribed last week and will increase in the coming weeks. Is not expected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Maine also told healthcare providers on Friday evening that the more contagious Omicron was the main strain in Maine. Estimates from state laboratory samples suggest that variants currently account for 70 to 90 percent of the state’s COVID-19 cases.

In recent months, doctors have been able to prescribe one of three monoclonal antibody therapies to COVID-19 patients. They were at high risk of becoming seriously ill because they were old, had an existing condition, or had not been vaccinated. Treatment has been shown to reduce the chances of hospitalization by more than 80% when given early.

However, by Friday, the Omicron variant, which can avoid two of the three treatments, has become the predominant COVID-19 strain in Maine, and the Maine CDC will continue to be valid, namely only sotrovimab IV. I was urged to advise my healthcare provider to prescribe. , This is given in a single intravenous injection.

The drug is in limited supply nationwide, forcing hospitals to distribute treatment to very high-risk people. Production is on the rise, but it is expected that it will take several weeks before supply shortages are alleviated.

“Ultimately, it will be a very good place with good supply, but unfortunately we can’t keep up with this surge,” said former CDC director in Maine and now the state’s Maine Health’s highest health. Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Head of Improvement, said. Largest hospital network. “If someone tests positive for COVID and is at high risk of hospitalization, the healthcare provider is truly binding.”

Mills said last week that Maine Health received 204 doses of sotrovimab. This week, the hospital network will be assigned only 54 times.

In December, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of another treatment, an antiviral drug called Paxlovid. This also seems to be effective in fighting the case of Omicron. However, its supply is severely depleted in Maine and throughout the country. According to Mills, the state received less than 300 Pfizer medications last week and didn’t expect the next shipment for a few weeks.

“The supply of these oral antiviral therapies is expected to increase in the coming weeks, but it’s unclear how much they will increase,” the main CDC told medical professionals in a recommendation sent Friday night. rice field.

The Main CDC also advises physicians to rank patients on a four-point scale based on the severity of risk factors and follow the National Institutes of Health guidelines for the distribution of rare treatments.

Vaccination is still the key

Matt Marston, Vice President of Pharmacy at Northern Light Health, the state’s second largest hospital network, said: “It all depends on whether the number of high-risk patients will be positive in the future and how much supply we have.”

According to Marston, the alternative treatment for many patients is the antiviral drug remdesivir, which is not in short supply. However, the drug does not prevent people from getting sick enough to not have to go to the hospital, but is only recommended for people who are already in the hospital. It can be given to outpatients, but it is time-consuming because it requires three injections for three consecutive days, which makes it difficult for work, childcare, and transportation problems.

“The only effective thing people can do to protect themselves is to get vaccinated,” Marston said. “Prevention is far superior to cure, and we need to make sure that everyone is taking every opportunity to prevent serious illness.”

Mills agreed. “People need to be very careful, because if they hear that there are readily available medications to prevent them from getting sick and hospitalized, they can’t count on it right now. “She said. “At this point, we are back to what it was a year ago.”

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