KCBS Radio With a Variety of COVID Treatments How Easy Are They to Obtain Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 16 February 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCBS Radio With a Variety of COVID Treatments How Easy Are They to Obtain Patients eligible for COVID-19 treatments should share a list of their current medications with their physician and pharmacist to avoid any drug interactions, according to Cedars-Sinai experts. Photo by Getty Images. KCBS Radio recently interviewed Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, about the top medications being used to treat patients with COVID-19. Four new treatments are available for high-risk outpatients with COVID-19. They include recently approved pill therapies Paxlovid and molnupiravir, monoclonal antibody infusion sotrovimab and antiviral infusion remdesivir. Patients must have a prescription from their physician to receive these medications, said Shane, who also is a professor of medicine. Shane advised eligible patients who are trying to obtain a prescription to share a complete list of their current medications with their physician and pharmacist. One of the pill therapies, Paxlovid, has many significant interactions with other drugs. Timing also is important because both pill therapies must be started within five days of symptom onset. Shane told KCBS that although previously used monoclonal antibodies do not work against the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, the new monoclonal antibody, sotrovimab, does appear to be effective. She added that remdesivir, the antiviral infusion, originally was only used to treat hospitalized patients and was recently approved for certain outpatients as well. While these new treatment options are promising, accessing them has been challenging. Shane told KCBS that "distribution is at the state and county level." She recommended that patients speak with their physician about whether they are eligible for any of the medications and for help locating the pill therapies at a local pharmacy or finding a nearby infusion center administering the other treatments. She encouraged anyone who has been prescribed one of these new treatments to educate themselves about the medication. "There's a fact sheet that's been developed for patients for each of the drugs, and it's important to take a look and review that information," Shane told KCBS. Click here to listen to the complete interview from KCBS Radio. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release KCBS Radio With a Variety of COVID Treatments How Easy Are They to Obtain Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home