Health clinic awaits arrival of Paxlovid anti-viral

The Point Roberts Clinic should soon be receiving 20 doses of the Paxlovid anti-viral medicine, according to Dr. Sean Bozorgzad, co-owner of Supertrack Urgent Care, the clinic’s medical provider. The news was announced during the Point Roberts Hospital District commission meeting held on August 10.

When taken within five days of developing Covid-19 symptoms, it has an 89 percent reduction in the risk of hospitalization and death, according to clinical trials conducted by Pfizer. It has been given an Emergency Use Authorization by the National Institutes of Health. The treatment is a combination of two generic drugs, nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, and is taken for five days with a total of 30 pills. Nirmatrelvir inhibits an enzyme the virus needs to replicate while ritonavir slows down the metabolism in the liver so the nirmatrelvir doesn’t leave the body as quickly as it otherwise would.

“It is crucial that everyone is evaluated before taking the drug,” said Dr. Bozorgzad, adding, “The sooner you take this medicine, the better it works.” While it is approved for anyone over 12 years old and weighing more than 88 pounds, certain drugs such as simvastatin, St. John’s Wort and others preclude its use. Lowered kidney function and pregnancy also are counter-indicative.

There is no cost to patients for the medicine. Dr. Bozorgzad told commissioners that the clinic would reorder the treatment as needed. For more information, go to Yale Medicine’s website at bit.ly/3SHKnwO.