DOH Issues Revised Guidance on COVID-19 Treatment Recommendations

As outlined in an advisory released by the Department of Health (DOH) last week, on Jan. 26, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Evusheld is no longer authorized for emergency use in the U.S. Additional details are provided on the FDA's website and on this U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) information sheet.

Outpatient antiviral treatments for COVID-19, including oral antivirals (OAVs) and IV remdesivir (Veklury), are effective in reducing the risk for hospitalization and death. Nirmatrelvir with ritonavir (Paxlovid) is the preferred treatment for most outpatients or remdesivir if Paxlovid is contraindicated. The oral antiviral molnupiravir (Lagevrio) is authorized as an alternative when Paxlovid and remdesivir are not accessible or clinically appropriate. (See the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines for Non-Hospitalized Adults for more information.) The antivirals Paxlovid, remdesivir, and molnupiravir are expected to be active against circulating subvariants.

The FDA cautions providers not to dispose of current supplies of Evusheld, as variants against which it is effective may become more prevalent in the future. Providers should retain and continue to store Evusheld according to storage conditions outlined in the FDA's Evusheld Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers and Letter of Authorization.

LeadingAge NY members are encouraged to share this information with their medical directors and physicians. 

Contact: Amy Nelson, anelson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 146