Closeup of man getting ready to take a pill with water

The Food and Drug Administration has updated its screening guidance for use of the COVID-19 antiviral pill Paxlovid.

In changes published late last week, the agency urged prescribers to review patients’ full lists of medications. It also recommended that clinicians “use other resources” to evaluate potential drug interactions in patients who take medications that are not included in its current drug fact sheet or checklist.

Updates are included in the following checklist tool provided online as a pdf document: “PAXLOVID Patient Eligibility Screening Checklist Tool for Prescribers.” 

Paxlovid is the preferred therapy for managing non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19, according to the National Institutes of Health’s COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines. In April, new dosages and related packaging were authorized for the specialized treatment of renal patients. 

In May, the FDA published a Q&A on appropriate prescribing of Paxlovid with John Farley, M.D., director of the Office of Infectious Diseases.

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