Insights Newsletter: Clarify the Role of Paxlovid or Molnupiravir for COVID-19, COVID-19: Sniffing Out Treatments for Loss of Smell, and New CE for February, and More!

Clarify the Role of Paxlovid or Molnupiravir for COVID-19

• Pain Point: New oral antivirals are being authorized for outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Clinicians need clarity on where these fit in with other available options, and how to triage use due to supply limitations.
• Solution: Our Pharmacist’s Letter, Prescriber’s Letter, Pharmacy Technician’s Letter, Hospital Pharmacist’s Letter, Hospital Pharmacy Technician’s Letter, Pharmacist’s Letter Canada, and Pharmacy Technician’s Letter Canada articles clarify when to consider a 5-day course of Paxlovid or molnupiravir, as well as how these options compare to a single infusion of the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab or a 3-day IV course of remdesivir. Our recommendations include how to find local supply, and considerations beyond package labeling when local supply is tight. Our Pharmacist’s Letter and Pharmacy Technician’s Letter articles give additional advice on how to adjust blister packs for patients with kidney disease, and our Hospital Letters discuss handling patients admitted while taking the new oral antivirals. All of the Letters highlight the reproductive risks with molnupiravir, including the need for reliable contraception during use and for 4 days afterward in women and at least 3 months afterward in men. Our chart, Outpatient COVID-19 Treatment Options, includes updated details as well as other medication recommendations.

COVID-19 Sniffing Out Treatments for Loss of Smell

• Pain Point: Loss of smell and taste is a well-recognized complication of COVID-19 infection. Some people continue to experience long-lasting disturbances in smell and taste, even after other symptoms have resolved. There is growing interest in the use of natural remedies to speed the return of smell, or ‘retrain’ the nose, and patients might be asking questions about their options.
• Solution: We recently published a new Natural Medicines article about treatments for loss of smell from COVID-19. There are many studies under way that are evaluating a wide range of natural products for this purpose, including vitamin A, fish oil, and essential oils. Most recently, a study evaluating palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and luteolin garnered some media attention. This study seemed to suggest that taking this combination could be beneficial, but due to issues with the study the jury is still out on the actual likelihood for benefit. There is also interest in using strong scents and tastes, such as chili peppers and ginger, to try to kickstart the nose. We cover all of this and more in this article.

And don’t miss out on our most popular charts, as well as our Transitions of Care and Diabetes Resources Hubs. You’ll also get details on freshly released CE/CME courses, and can’t-miss webinars.

Need timely, concise updates for your pharmacy teams on topics like drug options for hypertensive emergency, COVID-19 treatments, and more? Learn more about Enterprise solutions from TRC >>