“ The U.S. government has so far purchased 20 million courses of Paxlovid, priced at about $530 each, a discount for buying in bulk that Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla called “really very attractive” to the federal government in a July earnings call. The drug will cost far more on the private market, although in a statement to KHN, Pfizer declined to share the planned price.
The government will also stop paying for the company’s covid vaccine next year — those shots will quadruple in price, from the discount rate the government pays of $30 to about $120.”
Yes they will go from a government bulk-purchase discount to a list price of ~$120. No doubt they will offer discounts to large chains. Regardless, covid vaccines will be covered 100% under ACA-approved medical plans and no out-of-pocket cost to their insured.
And yes, right now Medicare will not cover Paxlovid as Medicare generally does not cover Emergency Use items.
Sigh. After almost 3 years tested positive. I babysit 8 month old GD. Her other caregiver got Covid and gave it to her who gave it to me because of course she sneezes. I’m fully vaxed and boosted but I’m 70. Symptoms aren’t too bad -cough and tired. Our primary doc has off hours service. First a triage nurse took my info then called back to set up a virtual visit. Doc prescribed paxlova so we’ll see how it goes.
My daughter was invited to a Christmas party where everyone invited was asked to get the bivalent booster ahead of time, due to someone being particularly high risk. She got hers in December, about two weeks before the party. She’s starting to hear about people in that group becoming infected now. (It’s not from the party since too much time has passed for that.)This new variant is something else.
Last June had a mix of Omicron variants – BA.5 was just starting replace older variants then. So you may have had BA.5, but probably more likely an earlier variant, especially if you got COVID-19 in the early part of June.
Someone who has both vaccination and infection with BA.5 probably gains the least benefit compared to others from the booster with BA.5, although getting boosted 6+ months after infection may give a short term (probably a few months) boost of immune response generally against COVID-19. Increasing likelihood of benefit would be for:
Vaccination + infection with Omicron other than BA.5
Vaccination + infection with non-Omicron variant
Vaccination (against ancestral virus) only
However, since BA.5 has been displaced by BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5, a BA.5 booster or infection is no longer a perfect match, although it is a better match than vaccination against the ancestral virus or infection with a non-Omicron variant.
My D got it first time last week. I had been babysitting over there prior to the positive test. But I have thankfully remained negative. So have her H, and GD4. GS1.5 did test positive after a few days but has been mostly fine except for very runny sneezy couple days.
A lot of my most careful friends got hit in the last couple weeks. I think the new variant, which hit our area first, must be incredibly contagious. I think I have just been very lucky. I mean, I don’t go ANYWHERE, but not getting it at D’s house was lucky. We did stay apart and she had windows open, as she’d been feeling a little off, though negative test that morning.
I’m assuming I keep my exposure “up” by going to school because there’s no shortage of sick kids there on any given day, though exactly what they have I’m not sure.
I wonder if keeping exposure “up” helps the immunity stay “charged.”
A viral load that gets to you could theoretically get stamped out quickly enough by your immune response so that you do not become sick (or contagious) but have a “booster” effect.
However, it is hard to know for sure whether you have been “boosted” through such exposure, since it is kind of a lottery as to whether you get a “booster” viral load (versus none, too small to “boost”, or large enough to get you sick or contagious).
Of course, with most people no longer doing much avoidance of COVID-19 (social distancing, masking, avoiding indoor spaces, etc.), other things like flu, various common colds, etc. are also going around.
The NP finally returned my call and explained that the benefits of taking Paxlovid for my FIL far exceeds the possible downside of not taking his blood pressure meds for 8 days. She said the pharmacy will deliver Paxlovid on tonight’s “med run.” She will also make sure the AL nurse will give the first dosage tonight no matter what time it is delivered.
Called FIL to let him what will happen. He didn’t sound good at all and said he’s not sure about taking Paxlovid. AHHHHH! I relayed the NP’s instructions and he asked that I call his GF and explain it to her. AHHHH! Called GF and she agreed with me. I really hope Paxlovid will be delivered tonight and he takes it.
@cag60093 my mother is currently being a PITA about taking Paxlovid for the same reason - having to go off her blood pressure meds. She won’t even call her doctor for a consult b/c she feels just like she has a head cold. She said she will call on Monday if she feels worse (symptoms started today). She is a retired nurse so she thinks she is informed enough to make this decision, while I think it is a decision she should make after talking to her doctor.
In the meantime, she also says “the Bidens both had rebound Covid after taking Paxlovid and I don’t want to get that.” But huh, she had no problem calling and making an appt for my father to get Paxlovid. So I guess she doesn’t mind convincing my dad to take it but she won’t! And then she lists several,of her elderly friends who had Covid and didn’t take Paxlovid and they were fine.
On the bright side, my dad is two days into Paxlovid and says he feels much better. He didn’t have bad symptoms, just slight congestion and a persistent dry hacking cough. He said at the moment, my mom just has head cold symptoms. I’m dropping off soup tomorrow so I will be able to get some sort of in person assessment of my mother since she has not returned my phone call (she did talk to my siblings this afternoon, who had no idea either of my parents had Covid! I assumed she at least told them about my dad).
I don’t know why my mom is being so stubborn. She normally is quite attentive to her health and is not reluctant to go to the doctor.
@cag60093 hopefully your father will agree to take the medicine. Either well, I hope he is feeling better soon.
@cag60093 I looked that drug up and it doesn’t seem to be described as treating blood pressure, but instead treats arrythmias. Is that true?
The drug interaction list says there is no possible way to combine paxlovid with that drug. The thing is amiodarone potenially has a longish half life and stays in the system for some time (varies) after stopping.
I would think it would take too long to clear it from his system in time to take Paxlovid but the pharmacist would probably know better and maybe cardiologists are up on this.
ps also maybe a provider can tell you whether Paxlovid is really crucial for your dad
Seems like the need to start Paxlovid early for it to have any benefit means that the decision to use or not use often must be made before it is known whether COVID-19 will become serious in the particular patient.
The urgent time frame may also be an issue on a weekend when the patient’s regular providers who know the patient’s medical history and individual medical needs are not available.
This seems strange to me. I take antivirals periodically for HSV1 outbreaks and they work like a charm no matter when I get them into me. It could be right at the beginning of an outbreak (ideal), and it could also be five days in (not ideal). Within a couple of doses the virus is knocked down. Same with other therapeutics. Is tamiflu this time-constrained? I’ve never taken it so I wouldn’t know. Seems like the time-constraint causes undue anxiety. But it is what it is I guess.
I think I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but once my husband tested positive, I gave my doctor’s office a call. I asked if Paxlovid could be sent in for me as if I also became positive, which I did, I was fearfully it was be Christmas weekend, and I would have trouble getting the prescription.
I picked it up on Friday, afternoon, then tested positive Friday night. I am glad I had it on hand, as I had to take the Renal dose pack which were in shorter supple. I had to pick it up at a different pharmacy; would have been an issue finding it Christmas Eve or day!
@ucbalumnus you are right about time constraint and weekends.
That said, without a thorough review by pharmacist and cardiologist, I would not risk taking Paxlovid while on amiordarone, myself.
There is no crystal ball for predicting severity of COVID but the severity of potential interaction seems clear, particularly if this drug is treating heart rhythm, not blood pressure. The idea is that Paxlovid will increase the level in the body. But I am not a doc.
This medication is used to treat certain types of serious (possibly fatal) irregular heartbeat (such as recurrent ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia). It is used to restore normal heart rhythm and maintain a regular, steady heartbeat.
Tamiflu has to be started within 48 hours of symptoms, so quite a bit more time constrained than Paxlovid.
For cag60093’s parent, i agree with compmom and would not take Paxlovid at all with amiodarone…every recommendation I see says they can not be used together. I would need to hear multiple opinions from leading physicians and at least one pharmacist that it would be ok. Not sure if anyone posted NIH’s recs, but here it is…clearly says to use alternative covid therapy (not Paxlovid) if patient is on amiodarone:
She said she will call on Monday if she feels worse (symptoms started today). She is a retired nurse so she thinks she is informed enough to make this decision, while I think it is a decision she should make after talking to her doctor.