Coronavirus Continues to Disrupt Prescription Drug Supplies

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Two drugs that showed a very different trend were amoxicillin, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections, and hydrocodone-acetaminophen, an opioid-containing painkiller that is commonly sold under the brand name Vicodin. Prescriptions for both declined in March and then plummeted in April. Dr. Warraich speculated that fewer painkillers were prescribed because of drops in elective medical procedures and visits to the dentist. Antibiotic use may have fallen in the past few months as doctors became more likely to suspect coronavirus, rather than bacterial infections, among people with cold and flu symptoms, Dr. Warraich said, or fewer people with symptoms may have been visiting their doctors because of concerns about catching the virus.

Dr. Warraich said the most encouraging finding was that compared with other medications there were no substantial drops in prescriptions for the two most popular groups of blood pressure medications, known as ACE inhibitors and ARBs. When the pandemic began, some scientists theorized that these classes of drugs could make people more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus or developing severe symptoms. Those concerns have since been dispelled by recent studies. But experts still worried that many patients might have been scared into stopping their blood pressure medications. The new study suggests that did not happen.

  • Updated May 28, 2020

    • My state is reopening. Is it safe to go out?

      States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

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      Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

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      More than 40 million people — the equivalent of 1 in 4 U.S. workers — have filed for unemployment benefits since the pandemic took hold. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.

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      There is an uptick in people reporting symptoms of chilblains, which are painful red or purple lesions that typically appear in the winter on fingers or toes. The lesions are emerging as yet another symptom of infection with the new coronavirus. Chilblains are caused by inflammation in small blood vessels in reaction to cold or damp conditions, but they are usually common in the coldest winter months. Federal health officials do not include toe lesions in the list of coronavirus symptoms, but some dermatologists are pushing for a change, saying so-called Covid toe should be sufficient grounds for testing.

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      The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

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      If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

    • How can I help?

      Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the American Red Cross, and World Central Kitchen has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities.


“That was probably the most reassuring part of this analysis, which was that there was no major drop off in people having these medications prescribed,” Dr. Warraich said.

After peaking in mid-March, prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine declined substantially but mostly remained elevated above their normal levels throughout April. To help ease the demand, some states issued strict new rules, such as requiring that doctors prescribe the drugs only for conditions that they have been proven to treat. Patient advocacy groups like the Arthritis Foundation and the Lupus Foundation of America sent letters to state pharmacy boards, the White House, Congress, the F.D.A. and other agencies asking them to help ensure that patients with chronic conditions could access the drugs.

“We have a lot of heartache in our patient population over the barriers they had in filling their prescriptions,” said Guy Eakin, the senior vice president of scientific strategy at the Arthritis Foundation.

Maureen Stewart has used hydroxychloroquine since 2005 to treat lupus. Her local pharmacy in Pittsburgh told her they were having trouble with their supply chain and needed to use two different manufacturers to fill her last prescription in late March. Without the drug, her joints become inflamed, especially her knees and her ankles, causing pain and swelling that make it difficult for her to walk. She is scheduled to get her next prescription in June and is anxious about it.

“I’m concerned about going for my next refill because of all the publicity,” she said. “I worry what’s going to happen if I can’t get it.”



Source : Nytimes