Managing nirmatrelvir/ritonavir during COVID-19: pharmacists’ experiences from the Perak state of Malaysia

Author:

Chang Chee TaoORCID,Ong Su Yin,Lim Xin Jie,Chew Lan Sim,Rajan Philip

Abstract

AbstractNovel therapeutic agents for SARS-CoV-2 have emerged over time, serving to reduce the severity of the disease, admission and mortality, especially among high-risk populations. Oral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid®) was found to reduce the risk of disease progression. Pharmacists played multiple roles in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. This article highlights the roles of pharmacists in managing nirmatrelvir/ritonavir within the Malaysian context. Pharmacists were actively involved in Paxlovid® inventory management. To ensure the balance between supply and demand of new therapeutic drugs, pharmacists in health facilities constantly monitor the inventory levels of the medications. As Paxlovid® was initially reserved for a certain population who met the clinical eligibility criteria based on a scoring system, pharmacists were required to screen and exclude patients with non-indications or contraindications to the medication. During dispensing, pharmacists convey clear instructions on how to take the medications to ensure adherence and medication safety. The novel nature of the medications necessitates pharmacists to counsel patients regarding its indication, the mode of action, actions to take when missing a dose or overdose happens, side effects, storage and disposal methods, as well as mechanism of reporting adverse drug reactions. Pharmacists were required to follow-up all patients via phone call on Day 3 and Day 5 post-initiation, examining both adherence and adverse drug reactions associated with Paxlovid®. Pharmacists experienced multiple challenges in managing Paxlovid®, particularly due to increased workload, suboptimal follow-up response, stringent medication storage requirements, and adherence issues. Universal research and innovation initiatives were proposed to improve the delivery of novel therapeutic agents in the future health system.

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Subject

Pharmacy,Health Policy

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3