No. of Paxlovid prescriptions drop at pharmacies

Pharmacies are devising exit strategies for 2H

The number of pharmacies handling Paxlovid has not increased from 4,000... The plan to increase the number to 6,000 has not been met

Pharmacies "Designation cancellations will increase before free supply ends"

Contrary to the government’s plans to expand the number of pharmacies in charge of COVID-19 treatments to 6,000, the number has not increased from 4,000 due to reduced prescriptions.

 

Moreover, pharmacies handling the COVID-19 treatments are predicting that more pharmacies would be applying to cancel their designation from the second half of the year.

 

As the disease control and prevention authorities plan to stop providing free COVID-19 treatments in the first half of next year, pharmacies that currently supply the drugs will also have to set up an exit strategy.

 

Pharmacy A from Seoul said, “Prescriptions are at most 1-2 a day.

 

In the meantime, the government increased the number of pharmacies, and hospitals reduced their prescriptions.

 

So there is no reason to increase the number of pharmacies.

 

Some pharmacies may wish to immediately drop their supply, but many are keeping their stockpile just in case patients come.” The proportion of COVID-19 patients over the age of 60 who are eligible to use oral treatments has also been gradually decreasing.

 

According to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the daily average number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remained in the 10,000 range, and the proportion of confirmed patients over the age of 60 decreased from 26.2% in the first week of March to 21.7% in the fourth week.

 

Both the number of confirmed cases and the proportion of patients over the age of 60 are declining (Source: KDCA)

7,981 patients over the age of 60 were prescribed oral COVID-19 treatments in the second week of this month.

 

When making simple calculations and dividing it by the 4,000 pharmacies, this is equivalent to each pharmacy dispensing two courses of oral COVID-19 treatments a week.

 

With the prescription rate not rising as expected, there have been talks about providing incentives to prescribing doctors.

 

In March, Gi-Seok Jeong, Director-General of the Special Response of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, requested the government to consider providing a separate fee for COVID-19 prescriptions.

 

Although the degree may vary depending on the pharmacy, pharmacies have been experiencing a sharp drop in prescriptions of COVID-19 treatments in general.

 

Pharmacy B in Gyeonggi Province said, “In the past, patients from far away came or reached me for prescriptions, but due to an increase in pharmacies that supply the treatments, I haven’t seen any patients for quite some time.” Pharmacy C in Seoul said, “The number of prescriptions decreased much and is rare these days.

 

With the number of contraindicated drugs increasing, hospitals now do not seem to be actively prescribing them if they are not necessary, he said.

 

"However, no pharmacy in our region has canceled their designation yet."

The treatment will be supplied free of charge until this year.

 

Patients will be charged a fee from the first half of next year.

 

(Source: KDCA)

Also, the authorities recently announced their plan to offer free treatment only until the second half of this year under a phased program.

 

Under the program, COVID-19 treatments will be applied health insurance from the first half of next year.

 

However, since oral COVID-19 drugs are expensive and cost around KRW 900,000, the key question is how much of the actual cost should be borne by the patients.

 

Pharmacies expect a steeper drop in prescriptions when free supply is discontinued.

 

Pharmacy A said, "An increasing number of pharmacies will stop supplying them before an insurance copayment rate is set, and I expect that will be around the end of the year."