These are activities that expand general practice knowledge, skills and attitudes, related to your scope of practice.
These are activities that require reflection on feedback about your work.
These are activities that use your work data to ensure quality results.
These are activities that expand general practice knowledge, skills and attitudes, related to your scope of practice.
These are activities that require reflection on feedback about your work.
These are activities that use your work data to ensure quality results.
Overcoming the drug-interactions barrier.
Under national guidelines, patients with COVID at high risk of serious illness should be prescribed nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid) by GPs, with the less effective molnupiravir (Lagevrio) a second-line option.
Right now, the opposite is occurring probably because GPs are inundated or overworked, says infectious diseases physician Dr Alex Padiglione.
“My understanding is that about 80% of the scripts currently being written by GPs are for Lagevrio, and only 20% are prescribing Paxlovid, and it really should be the other way around. Paxlovid is a significantly more effective drug,” he says.
“It’s because there are a long list of drugs where Paxlovid is contraindicated or you need to adjust a dose or withhold a drug. There are also contraindications for people with liver or kidney problems.
“If you’re running a busy practice and you’ve got someone on the end of the phone, it’s easier to give a script of Lagevrio, even if it is slightly less effective, rather than look up drug interactions.”
Dr Alex Padiglione will deliver a COVID Update at Healthed’s upcoming webcast on 27 September. You can register for free here.
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