Paxlovid, an oral antiviral medication produced by Pfizer that works to prevent COVID-19 from replicating, is being dispensed at low rates across Canada
unused – with the exception of Prince Edward Island – and as a new wave takes hold across Canada, experts say access barriers must be removed.
The Northwest Territories did not provide information about how many courses of treatment had been dispensed. Several factors are contributing to the slow uptake in most of Canada, including narrow criteria for who can be given the drug and an often complex process for seeking a prescription and getting it dispensed. For instance, New Brunswick still requires an infection to be confirmed by a PCR test before most of the people who qualify can receive Paxlovid, even though such tests can be time-consuming and difficult to get, said Dan Landry, infectious diseases pharmacist at the Dr.