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2022-10-06
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Pharmacy Practice & Practice-Based Research
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Copyright (c) 2022 Tyler C. Melton, Brandon K. Hawkins
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright of content published in INNOVATIONS in pharmacy belongs to the author(s).
A Community Pharmacist’s Guide to Oral COVID-19 Antivirals
Tyler C. Melton
UTHSC College of Pharmacy
Brandon K. Hawkins
University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v13i3.4961
Keywords: Community pharmacists, COVID-19, Paxlovid, Lagevrio, oral antivirals
Abstract
The recent approval of novel, oral antivirals for the treatment of COVID-19 has significantly altered the outpatient management of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. From a community pharmacy perspective, the two treatment options for mild to moderate COVID-19 are Paxlovid™ (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) and Lagevrio™ (molnupiravir). While the availability of these antivirals has expanded community pharmacists’ capability to provide care for patients diagnosed with COVID-19, many community pharmacists may struggle to effectively operationalize these agents in practice. This commentary provides a review of Paxlovid™ and Lagevrio™ clarifying the differences between each medication and their respective places in therapy, as well as suggestions and best-practices to operationalize the provision of these services in community pharmacies. These considerations are necessary to support and inform community pharmacy practice when providing oral COVID-19 antiviral therapy.
