New Brunswick expands eligibility for COVID-19 drug Paxlovid

“The Ministry of Health is in the process of expanding the qualifications of Pax Rovid to be notified in the near future,” spokesman Bruce McFarlane confirmed in an email statement Friday morning.

Paxlovid is intended for early-stage adults with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19, who are at high risk of exacerbating serious illnesses such as hospitalization and death.

It is designed to help the body fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reduce the symptoms of infection, and shorten the duration of the disease.

The following are currently qualified in New Brunswick:

• Those over 80 years old
• Aggressive or recent cancer treatment within the last few months, solid organ transplantation, stem cell transplantation within the last few years, moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency or advanced or untreated HIV infection, or moderate to severe People over the age of 18 who are immunocompromised by immunosuppressive treatment, biologics or high-dose systemic corticosteroids, etc.
• People aged 50-79 years with partial or “insufficient vaccination”. In other words, you do not have all the vaccination doses you are eligible for.
• People between the ages of 50 and 79 who live in or receive home care in a long-term care facility, or live in or live in an indigenous community.

The state has Paxlovid’s 3,550 treatment courses, Only 323 people are receiving medicine so far.

Macfarlane says that “some factors” explain such a small percentage of distribution.

“There are some important things about these antivirals Drug interaction With commonly prescribed medications, contraindications (exclusions) for certain medical conditions, and limited quantities available in Canada. “

Initially, Paxlovid was offered in New Brunswick to those listed in a priority group that met the eligibility requirements, determined by an evaluation team consisting of pharmacists and professional consultants, Macfarlane said.

Later, he said, it became available to patients “on a case-by-case” basis, based on the patient’s dosing profile and evaluation.

“But move forward [it] Prescribed by a primary care practitioner for those who meet Eligibility criteria, In the state to increase uptake. “

To be effective, you should take Paxrovid within 5 days of the onset of symptoms.

Doctors and nurses are among the primary care providers who are now able to prescribe medications without the need for team evaluation, McFarlane said.

If you do not have a primary care provider or cannot access them in a timely manner, call TeleCare 811 or visit the following website: Visit NB For online consultation with nurse practitioners and doctors, he said.

State Empower Quebec and pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid replied that Macfarlane was “not at this time” to improve access. Quebec is the only jurisdiction in Canada to do this.

However, New Brunswick will follow Quebec’s leadership by making it possible to distribute Paxrovid doses to all pharmacies, not just the current 55 pharmacies.

Macfarlane has so far been unable to provide information or statistics on successful treatment in the state.

Nor was it possible to give a breakdown of the 323 people who have been treated so far. “Because of the experience and number of Paxlovid used, we can categorize usage by age, but this information is not available at this time, only the total,” he said.

According to McFarlane, it is unclear when the state will ship Pax Rovid again.

As of March 31, Health Canada said it had shipped sufficient quantities to the states and territories for the 150,000 people allocated per capita.

Paxlovid is a combination of a new antiviral drug called Nilmatrelvir developed by Pfizer and an existing antiretroviral drug called ritonavir.

Nilmatrelvir blocks the proteins that the coronavirus needs to grow and prevents the coronavirus from infecting more cells. Ritonavir delays the breakdown of Nirmatrelvir so it stays in the body long enough to do its job.

For a full course of treatment, the patient should take 30 tablets. Take 2 Nirmatrelville and 1 ritonavir together twice daily for 5 days.

In November, Pfizer reported that Paxrovid reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% in high-risk adults without COVID-19 hospitalization compared to placebo.