'Far beyond a pharmacist's scope and training': AMA objects to FDA's Paxlovid decision

With the hopes of broadening access to COVID-19 care, the FDA on July 6 allowed pharmacists to prescribe Pfizer's antiviral treatment Paxlovid — but the AMA president disagrees with the decision.

"While the majority of COVID-19 positive patients will benefit from Paxlovid, it is not for everyone and prescribing it requires knowledge of a patient's medical history, as well as clinical monitoring for side effects and follow-up care to determine whether a patient is improving — requirements far beyond a pharmacist’s scope and training," AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, said in a July 6 statement.