Accessing a Hard-to-Find Medication

Omar, 91, was diagnosed with Covid-19, and his doctor wanted to treat him with Paxlovid, but the medication was not available in his area. Concerned family members contacted Better Health Advisors.

Situation

In January, 2022, as the number of Covid-19 cases reached new highs in the United States, Omar, 91, tested positive for the virus. He lives alone and was at high risk of developing a serious illness from the virus.

Omar’s doctor wanted to treat him with Paxlovid, a medication that can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from Covid-19, but it was not available in his area. Omar’s family called Better Health Advisors for guidance.

Support

The BHA team knew that Paxlovid was in very short supply, but we are fortunate to have an extensive network of medical professionals. With their help, we were able to locate the medication at an out-of-state pharmacy almost immediately. We asked Omar’s family to have his doctor send the prescription directly to that pharmacy.

The pharmacy was unable to ship the medication out of state, so that same afternoon, BHA arranged for it to be picked up locally on Omar’s behalf and have it shipped to him overnight. He began taking the Paxlovid the following morning.