Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Pushes Easier Access To Paxlovid To Tackle Covid
Los Angeles Times: U.S. Moves To Make COVID Antiviral Drug More Available
The White House announced more steps Thursday to make the antiviral treatment Paxlovid more accessible across the U.S. as it projects that COVID-19 infections will continue to spread over the summer travel season. The nation’s first federally backed test-to-treat site is opening Thursday in Rhode Island, providing patients with immediate access to the drug if they test positive for the coronavirus. More federally supported sites are set to open in the coming weeks in Massachusetts and New York City, both hit by a marked rise in infections. (Miller, 5/26)
The New York Times: White House Pushes To Get Paxlovid Pills In More Covid Patients’ Hands
White House officials said on Thursday that they were introducing new models for distributing Paxlovid, the Covid-19 oral medication made by Pfizer, in an effort to get the treatment to more people and keep coronavirus death rates relatively low even as cases increase. The federal government will start reimbursing a clinic in Providence, R.I., for evaluating patients who test positive and immediately prescribing Paxlovid to those eligible for it — the first of what the White House said would be a series of federally supported sites, with others set to open in New York and Illinois. Federal workers are also being sent to state-run testing sites in Minnesota, transforming them into “test-to-treat” locations, the White House said. (Weiland, 5/27)
More on Paxlovid —
The Conversation: COVID Made Things Taste Weird, Now 'Paxlovid Mouth' Sounds Disgusting. What Causes Dysgeusia?
Loss or alteration of taste (dysgeusia) is a common symptom of COVID. It’s also a side effect of several illnesses and medications, including Paxlovid, the new antiviral medication to treat COVID infection. Although it affects fewer than 6% of people who are given Paxlovid, some report a “horrible” taste that came on soon after they started taking the drug. Dysgeusia is described as a bitter, metallic or sour taste in the mouth. But what exactly is it, and what’s going on in the body when it happens? (Hellewell, 5/23)
The Atlantic: Rebound COVID Is Just The Start Of Paxlovid’s Mysteries
The first data on Paxlovid, out last November, hinted that the COVID antiviral would cut the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent. Pundits called the drug “a monster breakthrough,” “miraculous,” and “the biggest advance in the pandemic since the vaccines.” “Today’s news is a real game-changer,” said Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, which makes the drug. The pills are “a game changer,” President Joe Biden repeated a few months later. Now, finally, the game is being changed. The government has ordered 20 million courses of Paxlovid, committing half of the $10 billion in additional COVID funding that is being negotiated in the Senate; and Pfizer says that the number of patients taking the drug increased by a factor of 10 between mid-February and late April. (Gutman, 5/26)
Stat: Coronavirus Hasn't Developed Resistance To Paxlovid. Can That Last?
When the patient came back 10 days later, coughing repeatedly and complaining of headache, Davey Smith feared the worst. Smith had prescribed the patient Pfizer’s new antiviral pill, Paxlovid, on the previous visit, after a Covid-19 test came back positive. A resurgence of symptoms probably meant one thing, especially after Smith tested the patient and got another positive. “I was pretty sure it was resistance,” said Smith, an infectious disease physician at the University of California, San Diego. “I’m a virologist, I combat resistance all the time.” (Mast, 5/27)
In related news about covid shortages —
The New York Times: Imaging Contrast Dye Shortage Delays Tests For Diseases
Doctors cannot seem to pinpoint what is wrong with Michael Quintos. Mr. Quintos, 53, a Chicago resident, has constant stomach pain. He has been hospitalized, and his doctors have tried everything including antibiotics, antacids, even removing his appendix. “I still don’t feel good,” Mr. Quintos said. His doctors recommend using a CT scan with contrast, imaging that relies on a special dye often injected into patients to better visualize their blood vessels, intestines and organs like the kidney and liver. But a nationwide shortage of the imaging agents needed for the procedure — the result of the recent lockdown in Shanghai to quell a Covid outbreak — has prompted hospitals to ration these tests except in emergencies. Like thousands of others in recent weeks, Mr. Quintos cannot get an exam using the contrast dye. (Abelson, 5/26)
