Ontario pharmacists now allowed to prescribe COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid
Ontario pharmacists will be able to prescribe the antiviral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid to patients as of next week.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones made the announcement on Thursday, saying this will be “another step to make it more convenient and faster for Ontarians to access care.”
While about 4,000 pharmacies have been dispensing the drug, patients still needed a prescription from a doctor or clinical assessment centre in order to access the medication.
As of Dec. 12, this will change. Eligible patients will be able to get prescriptions for Paxlovid in-person or virtually at no cost.
“By increasing access to these treatments in more convenient ways, we are helping to keep people healthier and reduce COVID-19 related hospitalizations,” Jones told reporters on Thursday.
It is unclear how many pharmacies will participate in the voluntary program.
“While it is a voluntary progress, we are quite optimistic that there will be many pharmacists that choose to do this because it is another pathway for them to assist their patients directly,” Jones said.
Justin Bates, president of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, said the expectation is that the majority of pharmacies will participate.
“But they'll have to look at their patient population and individual circumstances to make that determination,” he added.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health said back in early November the province was considering this change to help expand access to the drug and keep people out of hospitals amid the triple threat of COVID-19, influenza and RSV.
“There was concern in particular in isolated areas. Where you may not have good access to a primary care physician, you may have access to a pharmacist. So that gap was looked at and I do believe they're working aggressively on that,” Kieran Moore told the Canadian Press.
Ontario interim Leader John Fraser said that while having pharmacists prescribe Paxlovid is "a good thing," it's months late.
"There's a whole bunch of people who didn't get access to that who should have had," he said.
Bates added this will reduce barriers to the medication and ensure patients can get the treatments they need.
“We know that by using Paxlovid within five days from the onset of symptoms that we can prevent severe symptoms, and our ultimate goal is to prevent hospitalizations and by doing that we relieve some of that burden in emergency departments and hospitals and ICU units,” he said.
Paxlovid is available for individuals who are 60 years of age or older, adults who are immunocompromised or at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes including having chronic medical conditions.
With files from the Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.