When it comes to COVID patients, more and more treatments are becoming available for Arkansans, with the most recent one being two newly authorized antiviral pills.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — When it comes to COVID patients, more and more treatments are becoming available for Arkansans, with the most recent one being two newly authorized antiviral pills.
So, where in the state are these treatments and how do you get your hands on them?
We asked experts those questions and quickly found out that there are some barriers with the distribution process.
These game-changing pills received emergency use authorization right before Christmas. We have supply here in our state, but pharmacist Brandon Achor said there are a lot of hurdles in getting those pills to patients who need them.
“We’re doing a tremendous amount of that triage already and it’s unfortunate that, that final hurdle of initiating therapy isn’t there,” he said.
Everything from testing to vaccinations, pharmacists like Achor have been a pivotal part in Arkansas’ fight against COVID-19.
But according to Arkansas Pharmacists Association CEO John Vinson, there’s been a recent roadblock with therapy that has slowed down what they’re capable of.
“The FDA took a surprise position where they actually prohibited pharmacists from being part of the the pathway to give access to these drugs to patients who need them,” he said.
Without being able to prescribe these pills, Vinson said the treatments are just sitting on pharmacy shelves.
“Instead of using 70 or 80% of the courses available, we’re using more like 25% to 30% of the courses as they arrive,” he said.
According to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), every two weeks the state receives about 750 courses of the Pfizer COVID-19 pills and 3,000 of the Merck pills.
Dr. Atul Kothari with ADH, said the pills are available in hospitals, Wal-Mart, and about 105 community pharmacies.
“There’s oral antivirals available in 64 of the 75 counties throughout the state. Our hope is that we will try to get them allocated to every county through the state,” he said.
For both brands of antiviral pills, patients have to start taking them within 5-days of their first symptoms.
This is why Achor believes the lack of authority on prescriptions among pharmacists is delaying access to patients.
“With something that is as time sensitive and can be as beneficial as an oral antiviral treatment. It’s a very large hurdle in getting those patients started as soon as possible,” he said.
While there are kinks that still need to be worked out, Dr. Kothari said these medications can save lives.
“They’re completely new drugs, which just came out 5-weeks ago, but I’m hearing good stories from my networks,” he said.
Pharmacists want to send a reminder that if you start to develop COVID symptoms, get tested and go to your physician immediately.
The earlier you report your symptoms, the sooner that they can put in a prescription for you to receive the pills.
Here are all of the places you can find the medications in Arkansas.
