Ottawa will no longer help vulnerable Canadians get an antiviral pill used to treat COVID-19.
The federal government stopped supplying Paxlovid to the provinces and territories for free on March 31.
“The provinces and territories are responsible for determining how best to implement and manage the available supply of COVID-19 therapeutics, including Paxlovid,” said Mark Johnson, a spokesman for Health Canada, on Thursday.
Paxlovid is used to treat COVID-19. (Supplied)
“Provincial and territorial jurisdictions will assume the primary procurement role to secure ongoing access to COVID-19 therapeutics, like Paxlovid, as they do with other medications.”
Johnson said most of the Paxlovid in its inventory, and what it has sent out, expires on March 31, with the rest expiring on May 31.
Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the government knows how important it is for Manitobans to get the medication they need when they need it and it is working to get Paxlovid put on the provincial Pharmacare program.
“The current supply of Paxlovid has been allocated throughout the province and is available at no cost to Manitobans with a prescription,” Asagwara said.
”Manitoba is part of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which is currently in negotiations with the manufacturer to list Paxlovid on provincial formularies.”
But there will now be fewer places to get Paxlovid.
A provincial spokesman said the number of pharmacies allowed to prescribe the drug has been reduced to preserve the remaining supply.
Five pharmacies in Winnipeg, two in Brandon, and one in other communities have been chosen. The Winnipeg ones include the Shoppers Drug Mart in Osborne Village, the Red River Co-op pharmacy at 77 Vermillion Rd., and the Sobey’s Pharmacy at 2575 Main St.
Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, expressed shock when she learned Paxlovid would no longer be coming free from the federal government and all the current stock will soon expire.
“This is concerning,” Jackson said. “It absolutely has helped vulnerable people. We are still seeing a lot of people with respiratory illness coming to hospital. Many people are immunocompromised and this has helped them from ending up in ICU. To take it completely away is not good.
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)
“This is very scary.”
Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief public health officer, said the people at the highest risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, including seniors, those who are immunocompromised, and those with comorbidities, are also some of the ones who can’t take Paxlovid.
“So many people at high risk are unable to take Paxlovid because they are on drugs with significant drug interactions,” Roussin said.
He said there is an alternative for them, remdesivir, but that has to be given through an IV in a clinic or hospital setting.
“I would still encourage people to see their doctor and pharmacists,” Roussin said.
“There is Paxlovid available now and there is an alternative should it be necessary. So, for now, this shouldn’t change anyone’s approach to it.”
Tim Smith, a pharmacy practice advisor with Pharmacists Manitoba, said if Manitobans have to buy the treatment drug it’s not cheap.
“The cost now would be prohibitively high for most Manitobans,” Smith said. “For a five-day treatment it costs $1,300.”
Smith said even if Paxlovid becomes part of the pharmacare plan, he expects not everyone will be able to use it.
Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin (Mike Sudoma / Free Press files)
“There will be more restrictive access to it, to the people most at risk,” he said.
“It will be available for who will benefit from it. It does have significant benefit of reducing hospitalization for high risk people, but it has been found to be like a placebo for low risk people.”
But Smith said there is something else people can do before they even need Paxlovid.
“People should stay up to date with their vaccinations,” he said.
“That’s the best thing we can do.”
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press. Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.