Paxlovid to bring on trip
 

Now that there's evidently no shortage of Paxlovid, has anyone tried to get a prescription to bring some along on an overseas trip? We've done it in the past on other trips with prescriptions for antibiotics in the event we got sick. I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a bad idea to have Paxlovid on hand.

A few weeks back, some acquaintances up in the mountains near LEH in India wanted Paxlovid as Covid was hitting the group. I was looking at getting Paxlovid in, but they were able to get it — or the generic equivalent of it — very easily from a pharmacy in the region. I was sort of surprised by the availability and had my concerns about the local supply. But the vaccinated group did recover very quickly after testing positive for Covid-19 and using the medicine. But that’s India, which is a huge manufacturer of pharmaceuticals. In some other countries or spots it may be a very different story.

From some surfing of the interwebs the generic version in India is called Paxzen and is manufactured by a FDA/EU certified lab. It costs about 5700 rupees (~$70) for a 20 pill box. In the US one regimen costs $700 but is paid for by insurance.
When outside the US not sure how easily available this is or the costs. This will be a great addition to my travel kit and will look into getting it.

Bob

I got hit with Covid while in Europe. I set up an online appointment with an EU doctor who prescribed Paxlovid via the telemed appointment. I was able to get the prescription filled and isolated there until I tested negative.

xooz what was the cost for the course of paxlovid? assuming paying out of pocket. Doc appointment was standard 25-30 euros ?

Yes, I think it was 25 eur for the telemed visit. I was in Germany and paid about 60Eur for the paxlovid regimen. One thing was that I got rejected at the first pharmacy as they said they wanted the doctor to be a German doctor (mine was in Greece). The second pharmacy wanted something printed and I only had a PDF on my phone. They relented.

I’ve never understood the instance of Germans wanting everything done in Germany but still wanting to be in the EU. Free trade works both ways.

The pharmacy they sourced it in was close to SXR. The price and availability of the medicine was cheap enough that they told me there was no need for any special arrangements or assistance to get the medicine to them from outside of India or even outside that part of India.

The pharmacy didn’t insist on a prescription for the purchase orders — not surprising to me given my own observations of practices at pharmacies in DEL.

India may be one of the better places to grab medicines on the relative cheap, but the quality of the production and the logistical handling and storage of produced medicines does come into the picture for consideration about sourcing medicine as a retail buyer.

I agree about experience with doctor/prescriptions in India. I definitely load up on generic versions of my favorite antihistamine, pain reliever, decongestant etc when I pass through and they have all worked just fine.

I believe you are UK based (followed Covid thread). What would it involve/cost to get Paxlovid in the UK if one were visiting and not using insurance?
There is so much focus on insurance covering hospital stays for Covid but plaxovid seems a more relevant solution in most cases. So am wondering if it makes sense to carry.

Bob

Paxlovid is available in the UK, but only on prescription so you won't be able to just pick it off the shelves. The NHS will only prescribe it to those in the highest risk health categories - whether a private doctor would treat it differently I don't know.

Even if you can get it prescribed, you'll be looking at a pretty significant cost and not inconsiderable hassle for the whole exercise - I would guess running into many hundreds of dollars for something you likely will recover from in a few days anyway.

You'd either have to get a UK-licensed doctor to issue a prescription for it that can be fulfilled at a UK pharmacy or hope that a UK pharmacy accepts a foreign prescription sent to them directly -- and they don't generally accept the latter nowadays even as little as they used to a decade or so ago. Private GPs are an option to see a UK-licensed physician for non-emergency purposes.

About the retail price for Paxlovid at pharmacies in the UK, not familiar with that; but it wouldn't surprise me if the medicine is more costly than having a necessary UK doctor's visit -- possibly even a telemed appointment -- and using a cheaply taken private lab test as a basis to try to get a UK-licensed doctor-issued prescription.

In the UK Paxlovid can only be prescribed against a specific and confirmed infection against the listed criteria. You simply can't have a stock "just in case". That would apply to private prescriptions too, and any private prescriber in the UK would almost certainly refer cases to NHS clinicians due to the monitoring schemes that are in place.

What sort of travel pharmacy people carry around? (aside from regular, prescribed medicines)? All I have is some ibuprofen and immodium (sometimes some lozenges, too) and for the last 4 decades it did suffice. And it passes through all customs.

Antibiotics - no reason, as I cannot diagnose myself if something is a viral or bacterial problem. (and antibiotics are prescription here, anyway) I know that in lots of places people take antibiotics for viral infections, welcome to the world of multi resistant bacteria! :(

If I needed something more complex, I'd see a doctor anyway.

PS - no, I don't do months long treks in the Amazon or the Gobi :)

Depending on the age and health condition of the traveller, I would add sinus medication and aspirin (for suspected heart attacks). And maybe paracetamol instead of ibuprofen if that tends to work OK for the person concerned.

For me its about the specific type of medication that works for me. So Aleve or generic version for pain relief. Specific antihistamine, cold , fever relief tabs. Paxlovid makes sense when cost/access is tough while an online doc consultation can be accessed any where. If you get covid and doc recommends it, makes sense you carry it and feel better faster than suffering in a hotel room/hospital in a random country.

Bob