Paxlovid prescribing in the community Paxlovid™ has arrived and will be available to prescribe and dispense from today, Tuesday 5 April.
1. Checks and considerations when prescribing Paxlovid a. Check whether the patient meets the Pharmac access criteria (see below) b. Check whether the patient wishes for active intervention. c. Check for potential drug interactions and review any contraindications. d. Review renal function. The prescriber should record the patient's most recent renal function (if available) on the prescription. e. Manage any necessary dose adjustments of medication. Communicate this clearly to the patient. Document details in notes. f. The dispensing pharmacist will also be undertaking a medication review. g. Specific information is required on prescription: i. endorse that the person meets access criteria ii. document Day Zero iii. record latest eGFR iv. provide a contact phone number. h. The contact number provided to the pharmacist needs to support easy access or urgent queries regarding medication management. Due to the tight timelines involved, prescribers and practices are asked to prioritise calls from the pharmacists. i. Issue the prescription and send electronically to the local participating pharmacy (see below). 2. Access criteria for Paxlovid There is currently no private supply. Prescriptions for off-label use or patients who do not meet eligibility criteria, will not be able to be dispensed. Approvals are valid for patients where the prescribing clinician confirms the patient meets the following criteria and has endorsed the prescription accordingly: All of the following: 1. Patient has confirmed (or probable) symptomatic COVID-19; and 2. Patient's symptoms started within the last five days; and 3. Either a. Patient is immunocompromised and not expected to reliably mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection, regardless of vaccination status; or b. Patient has at least five of the following: i. Any combination of the risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease identified by the Ministry of Health (with each individual condition counting as one risk factor) Click here for Ministry of Health definitions for higher risk people with COVID-19. ii. Māori or any Pacific ethnicity iii. Patient is aged 65 years and over, or is 50 years and over and has not completed a full course of vaccination, and