Doctors are clamoring for the COVID-19 pills now, not just because omicron is causing an explosion of cases, but because two antibody drugs — that were once the go-to treatments — don’t work as well against the variant.
WASHINGTON — Two brand-new COVID-19 pills that were supposed to be an important weapon against the pandemic in the U.S. are in short supply and have played little role in the fight against the omicron wave of infections.
The pills — and other COVID-19 drugs, for that matter — are being carefully rationed, reserved for the highest-risk patients. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said this week that the government collaborated with Pfizer to help speed up development of the pill by several months, and that officials continue to work with the company to look for ways to boost production.
Merck said it has delivered 900,000 courses of the drug and is on track to ship all 3 million ordered by the U.S. by the end of the month. State guidelines generally recommend doctors give priority for the drugs to those at the highest risk, including cancer patients, transplant recipients and people who have lung disease or are pregnant. New York’s guidelines also recommend prioritizing certain racial and ethnic minorities, given their higher rates of severe illness and death.In Michigan, all initial shipments went to 10 pharmacies in the hardest-hit areas.
“I felt a bit privileged in a way,” he said. “The odds that it would land in my plate in the right amount of time were pretty extraordinary.”
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