Meds Rarely Offered for COVID-19 Patients at High Risk for Progression

THURSDAY, Jan. 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection at high risk for progression are not offered antiviral medication treatment, according to research published in the Jan. 25 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Paul A. Monach, M.D., Ph.D., from the VA Boston Cooperative Studies Program, and colleagues ascertained reasons for underuse of antiviral medications to prevent severe COVID-19. One hundred ten Veterans Health Administration patients with mild-to-moderate infection at high risk for progression due to underlying conditions who did not receive antiviral medications were assessed.

All the patients had received the COVID-19 vaccine; 20.0 and 80.0 percent were offered treatment but declined and were not offered treatment, respectively. The researchers found that among the patients who were not offered treatment, provider reasons included symptom duration of more than five days, concern regarding possible drug interactions, and absence of symptoms (22.7, 5.7, and 22.7 percent, respectively); no reason other than mild symptoms was given for 48.9 percent of these patients (43 of 88 patients). For 24 of the 43 patients (55.8 percent), follow-up was limited to telephone calls to report test results and ask about symptom evolution; there were no reports of treatment being offered.

"Education of providers, patients, and staff members tasked with follow-up calls might increase use of antiviral medications for mild-to-moderate COVID-19, especially if combined with advance planning for possible antiviral treatment at the time of testing or earlier," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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