National

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday cleared the overdose reversal drug Narcan for sale without a prescription — a move health experts say could help slow a crisis that's claiming more than 100,000 lives a year.

Why it matters: Narcan acts five times quicker than the average arrival time for EMS technicians and can be administered without special training, allowing citizens to become de facto first responders. 

 The big picture: Tuesday’s decision doesn’t mean the 4-milligram nasal spray will be immediately available in pharmacies, grocery stores and gas stations.

Narcan maker Emergent BioSolutions expects over-the-counter sales to begin by late summer due to manufacturing changes. And the drug's use will hinge on how much the company charges.

What they’re saying: Addressing “the dire public health need” drove the decision to give Narcan over-the-counter status, said FDA commissioner Robert Califf.

“We encourage the manufacturer to make accessibility to the product a priority by making it available as soon as possible and at an affordable price.”

Emergent hasn’t disclosed a list price but has vowed to prioritize making Narcan accessible.

Retail prices can sometimes exceed $100. Some experts say the most in-need individuals may not be able to afford a $3 insurance co-pay.

Catch up quick: The FDA began pushing drugmakers to submit applications for over-the-counter naloxone last fall and fast-tracked Emergent BioSolutions’ application in December.

FDA advisers unanimously endorsed making Narcan spray available without a provider’s signoff in mid-February, with discussion mostly focused on the clarity of the instruction labels.

Most states already have a standing order that allows people to circumvent a prescription requirement, but stigma around drug use can be a barrier for some — and not all pharmacies stock the drug.

Making it easier to obtain could reduce the stigma of asking for a prescription, per a 2021 report from Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice.

The bottom line: “No single approach will end overdose deaths,” said Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. “But making Narcan easy to obtain and widely available will likely save countless lives annually."

FDA approves first over-the-counter opioid overdose treatment

Two pink and white boxes of Narcan nasal spray next to each other in a vending machine

Opioid epidemic

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="cleared" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-over-counter-naloxone-nasal-spray" data-vars-content-id="089cca51-d4d3-44ee-a890-411d59d10af5" data-vars-headline="FDA approves first over-the-counter opioid overdose treatment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-over-counter-naloxone-nasal-spray" target="_blank">cleared</a> the overdose reversal drug Narcan for sale without a prescription — a move health experts say could help slow a crisis that&#x27;s claiming <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="more than 100,000 lives" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/11/us-100000-overdose-deaths-2021" data-vars-content-id="089cca51-d4d3-44ee-a890-411d59d10af5" data-vars-headline="FDA approves first over-the-counter opioid overdose treatment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/11/us-100000-overdose-deaths-2021" target="_self">more than 100,000 lives</a> a year.Why it matters: Narcan acts five times quicker than the average arrival time for EMS technicians and can be administered without special training, allowing citizens to become de facto first responders.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

A Pennsylvania program that incorporates addiction treatment into emergency care for opioid use disorder could help limit the high risk of death patients who overdose face after they're discharged, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum.

The big picture: Emergency departments are increasingly encountering nonfatal opioid overdoses as the addiction crisis worsens, but it's still rare for EDs to offer treatment like buprenorphine despite its ability to reduce overdose deaths and stabilize withdrawal.

Competing demands, lack of training, health worker shortages and stigma all factor in the problem, according to the Howard University-led study.

How it works: Pennsylvania's Opioid Hospital Quality Improvement Program, which launched in 2019, offered state funding to pay incentives to hospitals that agreed to do one or more of the following: 

Initiate buprenorphine treatment before the patient was discharged.

Connect them to community treatment resources.

Have dedicated protocols for pregnant patients with opioid use disorder.

Hospitalize patients to provide opioid use disorder medication.

What they found: The financial incentives, which could add up to nearly $200,000, were associated with a 50% rise in prescription fills for buprenorphine within 30 days of being discharged.

Researchers also estimated that roughly 75% of the state's hospitals opted into at least one of those four options.

The bottom line: Pennsylvania's use of financial incentives for Medicaid patients with opioid use disorder could be a model for other states looking to boost access to medication-assisted treatment and lower future overdose deaths, researchers said.

Financial incentives could prompt ERs to provide more addiction treatment

The financial incentives were associated with a 50% rise in prescription fills for buprenorphine within 30 days of being discharged.

Illustration of a pill bottle with a hundred dollar bill for a label

A Pennsylvania program that incorporates addiction treatment into emergency care for opioid use disorder could help limit the high risk of death patients who overdose face after they&#x27;re discharged, according to a study published in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="JAMA Health Forum" data-vars-click-url="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2802874" data-vars-content-id="306914b4-71c9-4161-ad17-4fd008d40538" data-vars-headline="Financial incentives could prompt ERs to provide more addiction treatment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2802874" target="_blank">JAMA Health Forum</a>.The big picture: Emergency departments are increasingly encountering nonfatal opioid overdoses as the addiction crisis worsens, but <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="it&#x27;s still rare for EDs" data-vars-click-url="https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/pep21-pl-guide-5.pdf" data-vars-content-id="306914b4-71c9-4161-ad17-4fd008d40538" data-vars-headline="Financial incentives could prompt ERs to provide more addiction treatment" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/pep21-pl-guide-5.pdf" target="_blank">it&#x27;s still rare for EDs</a> to offer treatment like buprenorphine despite its ability to reduce overdose deaths and stabilize withdrawal.

Paxlovid isn't associated with COVID rebound, in which patients test positive or have symptoms days after a course of the drug is completed, Food and Drug Administration staff said in briefing documents released Tuesday.

Why it matters: This is the first time the FDA has publicly discussed if the phenomenon is actually due to the antiviral — a question that’s swirled around its use since Pfizer's drug was granted emergency use authorization in December 2021.

The big picture: The documents were prepared ahead of a Thursday meeting of FDA advisers, who will vote on whether to give the pill full approval for patients at high risk of hospitalization or death.

FDA staff said that Pfizer’s clinical trials support the notion that Paxlovid’s benefits outweigh its risks.

Zoom in: Both the FDA and Pfizer concluded that rebound is likely part of the natural course of a COVID infection and that it does not lead to severe disease when it occurs.

Rebound has also been observed in the absence of Paxlovid treatment, with potential rates ranging from 10% to 16%.

The likelihood of rebound was not significantly different between patients who were sick with the omicron variant compared to the delta variant.

What’s next: FDA regulators acknowledged more research is needed to determine whether a longer-term dosage than the customary five-day Paxlovid course could be needed for moderate-to-severely immunocompromised patients.

One ongoing clinical trial is testing how common COVID rebound is among immunocompromised people.

Another clinical trial underway is testing the potential benefit of re-treating patients with Paxlovid if they experience a rebound.

Both are expected to be completed by early December.

FDA: Paxlovid not associated with COVID rebound

Paxlovid isn't associated with COVID rebound, in which patients test positive or have symptoms days after a course of the drug is completed, Food and Drug Administration staff said Tuesday.

Illustration of a pill with a circular arrow on it. 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Paxlovid isn&#x27;t associated with COVID rebound, in which patients test positive or have symptoms days after a course of the drug is completed, Food and Drug Administration staff said in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="briefing documents" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fda.gov/media/166197/download" data-vars-content-id="95ab094b-753f-4abd-8f7e-ec194912819d" data-vars-headline="FDA: Paxlovid not associated with COVID rebound" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fda.gov/media/166197/download" target="_blank">briefing documents</a> released Tuesday.Why it matters: This is the first time the FDA has publicly discussed if the phenomenon is actually due to the antiviral — a question that’s swirled around its use since Pfizer&#x27;s drug was granted emergency use authorization in December 2021.The big picture: The documents were prepared ahead of a Thursday meeting of FDA advisers, who will vote on whether to give the pill full approval for patients at high risk of hospitalization or death.<ul><li>FDA staff said that Pfizer’s clinical trials support the notion that Paxlovid’s benefits outweigh its risks.</li></ul>Zoom in: Both the FDA and Pfizer concluded that rebound is likely part of the natural course of a COVID infection and that it does not lead to severe disease when it occurs.<ul><li>Rebound has also been observed in the absence of Paxlovid treatment, with potential rates ranging from 10% to 16%.</li><li>The likelihood of rebound was not significantly different between patients who were sick with the omicron variant compared to the delta variant.</li></ul>What’s next: FDA regulators acknowledged more research is needed to determine whether a longer-term dosage than the customary five-day Paxlovid course could be needed for moderate-to-severely immunocompromised patients.<ul><li>One <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ongoing clinical trial" data-vars-click-url="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05438602" data-vars-content-id="95ab094b-753f-4abd-8f7e-ec194912819d" data-vars-headline="FDA: Paxlovid not associated with COVID rebound" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05438602" target="_blank">ongoing clinical trial</a> is testing how common COVID rebound is among immunocompromised people.</li><li>Another clinical trial underway is testing the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="potential benefit of re-treating patients" data-vars-click-url="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05567952" data-vars-content-id="95ab094b-753f-4abd-8f7e-ec194912819d" data-vars-headline="FDA: Paxlovid not associated with COVID rebound" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05567952" target="_blank">potential benefit of re-treating patients</a> with Paxlovid if they experience a rebound.</li><li>Both are expected to be completed by early December.</li></ul>

Congress is moving to designate an animal tranquilizer that's infiltrating the illegal drug trade as a controlled substance, to better allow authorities to track it and prosecute traffickers. 

Driving the news: Bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reflects the growing alarm over the proliferation of xylazine, a sedative known as "tranq" or "zombie drug" that's often mixed with fentanyl, resists common overdose reversal treatments like naloxone and causes skin-rotting wounds.

In a Monday letter to clinicians, SAMHSA wrote that xylazine is an emerging public health threat and noted that routine toxicology tests do not test for the substance.

Last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration warned about the increased risk of xylazine-fentanyl mixtures, and DEA administrator Anne Milgram called xylazine "the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced."

At the end of February, the FDA announced new restrictions on the import of xylazine to ensure it's not diverted for illegal use.

Cortez Masto told Axios that conversations about scheduling xylazine began around January and included the DEA, veterinarians and cattle ranchers.

Between the lines: The legislation in Congress comes as state and federal lawmakers are pressing for more aggressive punishment for fentanyl possession and dealing, as the opioid and its derivatives continue to drive a worsening addiction crisis.

The bill would make xylazine a Class III controlled substance — the same category as ketamine, testosterone and buprenorphine.

While the DEA and FDA could choose to list xylazine themselves, the process could take longer than doing it legislatively, per a February Congressional Research Service report.

Yes,  but: Addressing the opioid epidemic by banning drugs people use has not been popular among some advocacy organizations.

In 2021, more than 100 groups urged Congress not to permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances and increase enforcement because "there is simply no evidence" that doing so would reduce the illicit drug supply or overdose rates.

While making drugs illegal increases their prices and reduces availability, the effort can also discourage patients with opioid use disorder from seeking help, according to a March Rand report examining the U.S. response to the crisis.

What they're saying: "We need an all-of-the-above approach," Cortez Masto told Axios, that gives law enforcement more tools to go after trafficking and still helps those with substance use disorder. 

Congress eyes making "zombie drug" xylazine a controlled substance

Xylazine, a sedative that's often mixed with fentanyl, resists common overdose reversal treatments like naloxone and causes skin-rotting wounds.

Illustration of the U.S. Capitol building with a syringe on top.

Congress is moving to designate an animal tranquilizer that&#x27;s infiltrating the illegal drug trade as a controlled substance, to better allow authorities to track it and prosecute traffickers. Driving the news: Bipartisan legislation <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="introduced Tuesday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-grassley-and-hassan-introduce-legislation-to-crack-down-on-xylazine" data-vars-content-id="a39edd66-012b-43ec-8163-1bb339d38597" data-vars-headline="Congress eyes making &quot;zombie drug&quot; xylazine a controlled substance" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-grassley-and-hassan-introduce-legislation-to-crack-down-on-xylazine" target="_blank">introduced Tuesday</a> by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reflects the growing alarm over the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="proliferation of xylazine" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/01/fda-import-zombie-drug-xylazine" data-vars-content-id="a39edd66-012b-43ec-8163-1bb339d38597" data-vars-headline="Congress eyes making &quot;zombie drug&quot; xylazine a controlled substance" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/01/fda-import-zombie-drug-xylazine" target="_self">proliferation of xylazine</a>, a sedative known as &quot;tranq&quot; or &quot;zombie drug&quot; that&#x27;s often mixed with fentanyl, resists common overdose reversal treatments like naloxone and causes skin-rotting wounds.

Pfizer's antiviral Paxlovid is one step closer to gaining full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, but whether that convinces more doctors to prescribe it is an open question.

Driving the news: Vaccine advisers to the FDA voted 16-1 on Thursday to endorse Paxlovid for high-risk COVID-19 patients, but experts later said there’s not enough data to determine precisely who would benefit most from the drug.

That poses a dilemma for physicians who — in addition to considering drug interactions and how the virus has evolved — also have to weigh factors like Paxlovid's effect on pregnant and immunosuppressed people and other vulnerable populations.

Catch up quick: Many doctors are already hesitant to prescribe the drug, either because of possible side effects like muscle pain or altered taste or out of a belief that a patient is not sick enough.

And there are longstanding questions about how well the drug, once hailed as a pandemic "game-changer," works on vaccinated patients or younger people.

Limited public awareness and perceptions that the pandemic is over have also led fewer people to ask for it.

The circumstances could hamper efforts to ensure Paxlovid gets to those who most need it, even if full FDA approval boosts public acceptance and uptake.

Go deeper: Almost 12.7 million courses of Paxlovid have been distributed, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

But demographic breakdowns aren‘t publicly disclosed, making it difficult to know who's getting it.

In some states, Paxlovid is being prescribed in less than a quarter of COVID cases, per a January analysis of White House data from The New York Times.

A CDC study last October found Black and Latino patients were as much as 36% less likely to be prescribed the drug than white patients even when they were immunocompromised.

And Test to Treat sites aimed at helping hard-hit communities access  Paxlovid were often not accessible to rural residents and others most in need, according to a November report from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

What’s happening: "There’s not a good understanding [of Paxlovid] among the medical community" leading to an "actual dissuading of patients from taking an effective and safe drug that could save their life," said Sankar Swaminathan, an FDA panelist and infectious disease specialist at the University of Utah who voted to recommend full approval. 

Swaminathan said he’s had a "distressingly large number of patients" — including those with cancer — say they were told not to take Paxlovid because of COVID rebound, in which people test positive or have symptoms after completing a course of the drug.

FDA staff concluded there's no connection between the drug and the phenomenon.

Terry Gillespie, a patient representative and the lone member of the expert panel who voted against full approval, told panelists she’s had COVID multiple times and has one lung yet — has never been offered Paxlovid.

"I’m kind of concerned about the doctors knowing actually when to prescribe it to somebody, say, like me," she said.

The other side: A January Medscape survey of more than 1,500 providers regarding Paxlovid found that 44% of physicians said they didn’t prescribe the drug because the patient was taking medication that reacted with it.

FDA officials said Thursday that more than half of Paxlovid-eligible Medicare and VA patients are on drugs that contraindicated with the antiviral.

The bottom line: "I don’t think the issue is whether or not there’s benefit," said member Lindsey Baden, the director of clinical research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. "It’s understanding who, when and mitigating the risk — which is not zero, but it’s small."

Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears

Illustration of a gavel hovering over a block with an image of a red cross.

COVID-19 treatments

Pfizer&#x27;s antiviral Paxlovid is one step closer to gaining full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, but whether that convinces more doctors to prescribe it is an open question.Driving the news: Vaccine advisers to the FDA voted 16-1 on Thursday to endorse Paxlovid for high-risk COVID-19 patients, but experts later said there’s not enough data to determine precisely who would benefit most from the drug.<ul><li>That poses a dilemma for physicians who — in addition to considering drug interactions and how the virus has evolved — also have to weigh factors like Paxlovid&#x27;s effect on pregnant and immunosuppressed people and other vulnerable populations.</li></ul>Catch up quick: Many doctors are already hesitant to prescribe the drug, either because of possible side effects like muscle pain or altered taste or out of a belief that a patient is not sick enough.<ul><li>And there are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="longstanding questions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/02/paxlovid-turns-into-pandemic-mystery" data-vars-content-id="dbc965c2-fc7b-4c50-8acb-a5e9d0cb661c" data-vars-headline="Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/09/02/paxlovid-turns-into-pandemic-mystery" target="_self">longstanding questions</a> about how well the drug, once hailed as a pandemic &quot;game-changer,&quot; works on vaccinated patients or younger people.</li><li>Limited public awareness and perceptions that the pandemic is over have also led fewer people to ask for it.</li></ul>The circumstances could hamper efforts to ensure Paxlovid gets to those who most need it, even if full FDA approval boosts public acceptance and uptake.Go deeper: Almost<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" 12.7 million courses" data-vars-click-url="https://aspr.hhs.gov/COVID-19/Therapeutics/orders/Pages/default.aspx" data-vars-content-id="dbc965c2-fc7b-4c50-8acb-a5e9d0cb661c" data-vars-headline="Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://aspr.hhs.gov/COVID-19/Therapeutics/orders/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank"> 12.7 million courses</a> of Paxlovid have been distributed, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.<ul><li>But demographic breakdowns aren‘t publicly disclosed, making it difficult to know who&#x27;s getting it.</li><li>In some states, Paxlovid is being prescribed in less than a quarter of COVID cases, per a January analysis of White House data from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The New York Times." data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/briefing/paxlovid-prescription.html" data-vars-content-id="dbc965c2-fc7b-4c50-8acb-a5e9d0cb661c" data-vars-headline="Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/briefing/paxlovid-prescription.html" target="_blank">The New York Times.</a></li><li>A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CDC study" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7143a2.htm?s_cid=mm7143a2_w" data-vars-content-id="dbc965c2-fc7b-4c50-8acb-a5e9d0cb661c" data-vars-headline="Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7143a2.htm?s_cid=mm7143a2_w" target="_blank">CDC study</a> last October found Black and Latino patients were as much as 36% less likely to be prescribed the drug than white patients even when they were immunocompromised.</li><li>And Test to Treat sites aimed at helping hard-hit communities access Paxlovid were often not accessible to rural residents and others most in need, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="November report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221109124332.htm" data-vars-content-id="dbc965c2-fc7b-4c50-8acb-a5e9d0cb661c" data-vars-headline="Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221109124332.htm" target="_blank">November report</a> from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.</li></ul>What’s happening: &quot;There’s not a good understanding [of Paxlovid] among the medical community&quot; leading to an &quot;actual dissuading of patients from taking an effective and safe drug that could save their life,&quot; said Sankar Swaminathan, an FDA panelist and infectious disease specialist at the University of Utah who voted to recommend full approval. <ul><li>Swaminathan said he’s had a &quot;distressingly large number of patients&quot; — including those with cancer — say they were told not to take Paxlovid because of COVID rebound, in which people test positive or have symptoms after completing a course of the drug.</li></ul><ul><li>FDA staff concluded <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="there&#x27;s no connection" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/14/fda-paxlovid-not-associated-with-covid-rebound" data-vars-content-id="dbc965c2-fc7b-4c50-8acb-a5e9d0cb661c" data-vars-headline="Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/14/fda-paxlovid-not-associated-with-covid-rebound" target="_self">there&#x27;s no connection</a> between the drug and the phenomenon.</li><li>Terry Gillespie, a patient representative and the lone member of the expert panel who voted against full approval, told panelists she’s had COVID multiple times and has one lung yet — has never been offered Paxlovid.</li><li>&quot;I’m kind of concerned about the doctors knowing actually when to prescribe it to somebody, say, like me,&quot; she said.</li></ul>The other side: A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="January Medscape survey" data-vars-click-url="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medscape-survey-finds-reasons-paxlovid-is-underprescribed-for-those-65-and-older-despite-its-effectiveness-against-covid-complications-301720681.html" data-vars-content-id="dbc965c2-fc7b-4c50-8acb-a5e9d0cb661c" data-vars-headline="Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medscape-survey-finds-reasons-paxlovid-is-underprescribed-for-those-65-and-older-despite-its-effectiveness-against-covid-complications-301720681.html" target="_blank">January Medscape survey</a> of more than 1,500 providers regarding Paxlovid found that 44% of physicians said they didn’t prescribe the drug because the patient was taking medication that reacted with it.<ul><li>FDA officials said Thursday that more than half of Paxlovid-eligible Medicare and VA patients are on drugs that contraindicated with the antiviral.</li></ul>The bottom line: &quot;I don’t think the issue is whether or not there’s benefit,&quot; said member Lindsey Baden, the director of clinical research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. &quot;It’s understanding who, when and mitigating the risk — which is not zero, but it’s small.&quot;

Sabrina Moreno

Stories

FDA approves first over-the-counter opioid overdose treatment

Congress eyes making "zombie drug" xylazine a controlled substance

Financial incentives could prompt ERs to provide more addiction treatment

Questions still swirl over Paxlovid as FDA full approval nears

FDA: Paxlovid not associated with COVID rebound