Where Can You Get Paxlovid Now? Are You Eligible for the Medication?

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Key Takeaways

• Paxlovid is an oral antiviral medication that can be taken at home to reduce the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death in high-risk individuals.

• Paxlovid requires a prescription and not everyone is eligible for it.

• For now, Paxlovid is still free for U.S. residents.
  

For people at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, Paxlovid is an effective antiviral treatment for an early coronavirus infection.

A recent study showed that Paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalization or death from Omicron variants in people aged 50 and older by 44%. For people who were unvaccinated, Paxlovid lowered the risk of hospitalization or death by 81%.

Paxlovid is a combination of two antiviral medications: nirmatrelvir and ritonavir.

"Nirmatrelvir stops the virus from replicating and reduces the amount of virus in the body. Ritonavir helps to boost the levels of nirmatrelvir so it is not broken down too quickly," said Shirin Mazumder, MD, an infectious diseases physician at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis.

Related: How Does Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir) Work?

Who's Eligible for Paxlovid?

"Paxlovid is not recommended for everyone," Mazumder said. The antiviral medication is only recommended for people over the age of 12 and are at high risk for developing severe COVID.

This includes older adults or people who have underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and chronic kidney disease. Here's a list of high-risk underlying conditions that could help determine if you're eligible for the treatment.

Paxlovid is also only meant for use within five days of symptom onset. Your healthcare provider will ultimately decide if you meet the criteria for a prescription. Licensed pharmacists may be able to prescribe the drug as well, but they must consult with your physician or review your medical records to make sure you're not taking any drug that would interact with Paxlovid.

Related: You Can Now Get Paxlovid Without Seeing a Provider

Can You Get Paxlovid If You Don't Qualify?

You'll need a prescription from a doctor in order to obtain Paxlovid. If your healthcare provider determines that you don't meet the criteria, it's unlikely you'll receive a prescription.

"Paxlovid has several different medication interactions so a careful review of someone’s medication history is very important before it is prescribed," Mazumder said. "Even certain over-the-counter medications and supplements can interact with Paxlovid so be sure to discuss any medications that you taking with your healthcare provider."

Should You Take Paxlovid If Your Symptoms Are Mild?

For Paxlovid to be effective, it should be initiated within five days of the appearance of COVID-19 symptoms, according to Chandra Shekhar Bakshi, DVM, PhD, a professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at New York Medical College.

"In other words, the effectiveness of Paxlovid is best if it is taken early during the infection, at which stage the symptoms are still mild," Bakshi said.

More severe symptoms typically develop after this five-day window because of organ damage caused by the virus, he said. If a patient starts this treatment when the symptoms are severe, Paxlovid can not reverse this damage.

Related: What Are the Side Effects of Paxlovid?

Should You Finish the Whole Course If You're Feeling Better?

Paxlovid consists of a five-day course of 30 pills which are to be taken three times per day for five days. Bakshi said it's important to complete the entire course to get the full benefits of the treatment.

Clinical trials show that Paxlovid is effective at preventing the development of severe COVID, hospitalization, or death in 86-89% of cases if the treatment is initiated within three days of the onset of symptoms and a full course of the treatment is completed.

Does Paxlovid Help Prevent Long COVID?

Although research is still limited, a few large studies have shown that high-risk people treated with Paxlovid within five days of testing positive have a lower chance of developing long COVID symptoms after 90 days.

"Long COVID may be a consequence of the initial moderate to severe COVID," Bakshi said. "Therefore, if the initial infection is controlled, the development of long COVID symptoms could be minimized or completely prevented."

Should You Worry About Paxlovid Rebound?

Paxlovid rebound is when COVID symptoms return within two to eight days after completing a course of Paxlovid, Mazumder explained. In some cases, people have tested positive again with no symptoms.

According to the CDC, a rebound doesn't mean that someone was reinfected or that they had resistance to Paxlovid. A return of symptoms might be a part of the natural history of the virus, and no additional measures are needed when it comes to treatment for rebound symptoms.

"The good news is that, in general, rebound symptoms tend to be milder," Mazumder said.

Can You Get Paxlovid Without Insurance?

Paxlovid is free for U.S. residents as long as the federal supply lasts. When the national stockpile runs out, people might have to pay out-of-pocket costs.

What This Means For You

If you're at a high risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19, speak to your healthcare provider about taking Paxlovid within the first five days of your infection. The drug can be obtained at no cost with a prescription.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.