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Pharmacists warn supply, pay and staffing hamper COVID treatment access

PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE · February 7, 2022
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Summary

Pharmacists told the committee that sotrovimab is scarce and primarily hospital‑based, about 100 pharmacies were offering oral antivirals by early January, and low or inconsistent dispensing fees threaten pharmacies’ ability to sustain services.

John Vinson, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, told the committee that sotrovimab (IV infusion) is in very short supply and that most doses are concentrated in hospitals. Vinson said one community pharmacy in Sevier County and a handful of others have had limited sotrovimab stock, but the "vast majority" of the tiny supply is in hospital systems.

Vinson described the oral antiviral rollout: initial federal retail partnerships with Walmart…

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