Information for Patients
Therapeutics are medications used to treat at risk groups for COVID-19 and are prescribed by healthcare providers. Please contact your health care provider to determine if you are eligible for a COVID-19 therapeutic.
Please note treatments must be started within the first few days to be effective. These therapeutics are NOT a substitute for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can lower your risk of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 and prevent serious illness and death.
Monoclonal Antibodies
What are monoclonal antibodies?
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the ability of our body’s immune system to fight off harmful pathogens like the virus that causes COVID-19.
The US Food and Drug Administration issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for mAbs to:
- Provide pre-exposure prevention for those with moderate to severely compromised immune systems or a history of severe adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine and/or components of the vaccine.
- Treat patients with COVID-19
Can I receive monoclonal antibody treatments?
To be eligible, you must meet the criteria identified in the EUA (See Table 1) and receive a prescription or treatment referral from a healthcare provider.
COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatments are available both for adult and pediatric patients. Contact your provider to determine the best treatments for you.
If you think you are a candidate for mAbs, please call your health care provider to discuss your eligibility and the current availability of mAbs as soon as possible. Treatment must be started within the first few days to be effective.
Treatment Factors |
mAb for Pre-exposure Prevention |
mAb for Treatment |
---|---|---|
COVID-19 Test Result |
Negative (Treatment specific to immunocompromised populations) |
Positive |
Symptoms/Immune Response |
No symptoms/Not infected with COVID-19 |
Cough, runny nose, within ten (10) days of symptom onset and hospitalized patients |
Other Factors |
Moderate to severely compromised immune system, or history of severe adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine and/or component (more information) |
Several medical conditions* that can lead to severe COVID-19 |
* Individuals that are at higher risk for progression from mild/moderate to severe COVID-19 may have the following medical conditions:
- Older age (age ≥65 years of age)
- Obesity or being overweight (BMI >25 kg/m2)
- Pregnancy
- Chronic kidney disease
- Diabetes
- Immunosuppressive disease or immunosuppressive treatment
- Cardiovascular disease including congenital heart disease or hypertension
- Chronic lung diseases or moderate-to-severe asthma
- Sickle cell disease
- Neurodevelopmental disorders or other conditions that confer medical complexity
- Having a medical-related technological dependence
Where can I receive monoclonal antibody treatment?
There are several places within the District of Columbia that offer monoclonal antibody treatments. You will need a treatment referral from a health care provider to set up an appointment. If you have any questions about the treatment, please ask your provider.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has developed a public-facing COVID-19 therapeutics locator displaying public locations that have received shipments COVID-19 therapeutics
This locator tool can be found at: https://covid-19-therapeutics-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com/
These therapies require a prescription by a licensed and authorized provider. The therapeutics locator is intended for provider use. Patients should not contact locations directly unless instructed to do so by their healthcare provider.
Antiviral Drugs
What are antiviral drugs?
Antiviral drugs inhibit or reduce the ability of the virus to replicate in your body, which can lessen the severity of the disease. Currently, Remdesivir (Veklury®) is an approved injection that is used to treat only hospitalized patients. There are also antiviral drugs in a pill form that can treat non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms with the risk of progressing to severe disease.
What oral medications are available for the treatment of COVID-19 illness?
For persons with COVID-19 who are not hospitalized but are at high risk of severe illness, treatments for COVID-19 are available on a limited basis.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given two oral COVID-19 antiviral medications Emergency Use Authorization (EUA): Paxlovid (Pfizer) and Molnupiravir (Merck).
Are these medications effective?
According to information provided by the manufacturers, Paxlovid (Pfizer) reduces the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 89% and Molnupiravir (Merck) reduces the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 30%.
How are these medications taken?
These medications are available as pills. Treatment must be started within the first 5 days of illness.
Do I have to have a positive COVID-19 test to take these medications?
Persons must have a positive test result for COVID-19 to be eligible to receive these medications.
Within the District, testing locations can be found on the DC Health coronavirus website at coronavirus.dc.gov/testing.
Can I take one of these oral antiviral COVID-19 treatments?
Treatment courses of these medications are available to prescribers in Washington, DC.
Due to the limited supply of treatment courses available; the medications will be restricted to use by people who have the highest likelihood to become severely ill from COVID-19. Patients are eligible for these medications if they:
- Have positive tests for the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2),
- Are not hospitalized,
- Have mild to moderate illness,
- Have had symptoms for five days or less, and
- Are at high risk to develop severe COVID-19 because of:
- Age 65 years or older
- Age > 12 (for Paxlovid) or >18 (for molnupiravir) and have any of the conditions that increase the risk of severe illness listed by the CDC at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
How and where can I get obtain these medications?
To obtain these medications, you must have a prescription for them from a medical provider licensed to prescribe drugs in the District of Columbia. Please bring your insurance card. The medications themselves are available at no cost. These prescriptions can be filled at:
1) Select pharmacies in Washington, DC including retail pharmacies and healthcare facility outpatient pharmacy locations. Pharmacies may charge a fee to dispense them, but this fee should be covered by health insurance.
Retail Pharmacy locations:
Store Name |
Address |
Phone Number |
---|---|---|
Giant Pharmacy #378 |
1345 Park Road, NW, Washington DC, 20010 |
(202) 777-1078 |
Giant Pharmacy #384 |
1535 Alabama Ave, SE, Washington DC, 20032 |
(202) 610-6450 |
Safeway #1276 |
6500 Piney Branch Rd, NW, Washington DC, 20012 |
(202) 723-5612 |
Safeway #1445 |
2845 Alabama Ave SE, Washington DC, 20020 |
(202) 575-7527 |
Safeway #2737 |
490 L Street, NW, Washington DC, 20001 |
(202) 719-2439 |
Safeway #2808 |
3830 Georgia Ave, NW, Washington DC, 20011 |
(202) 722-4067 |
Safeway #2892 |
1100 4th Street, SW, Suite 150, Washington DC, 20024 |
(202) 719-2500 |
Safeway #2912 |
1855 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington DC, 20007 |
(202) 333-6048 |
Safeway #3217 |
415 14th Street SE, Washington DC, 20003 |
(202) 920-5875 |
Safeway #4202 |
1747 Columbia Road, NW, Washington DC, 20009 |
(202) 667-2080 |
Safeway #4270 |
1601 Maryland Ave., NE, Washington DC, 20002 |
(202) 398-6900 |
Safeway #4832 |
5545 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington DC, 20015 |
(202) 364-0320 |
Healthcare facility outpatient pharmacy locations:
Healthcare Facility Name | Address |
---|---|
The GW Medical Faculty Associates | 2150 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Ste 6A-403 Washington DC, 20037 |
Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill | 700 2nd Street, NE, Washington DC 20002 |
Kaiser Permanente Northwest | 2301 M Street NW, Suite 200, Washington DC, 20037 |
MedStar Pharmacy at Georgetown University Hospital | 3800 Reservoir Rd, NW, Washington DC, 20070 |
MedStar Pharmacy at Washington Hospital Center | 106 Irving Street, NW, Suite 1200, Washington DC, 20010 |
The test to treat program is an additional pathway for fast access to lifesaving COVID-19 treatments and can be found online. A web-based site locator is now available to make it easier to find Test to Treat locations.
Those who may have difficulty accessing the internet or need additional support locating a Test to Treat site can call 1(800) 232-0233 (TTY 1(888) 720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages – 8 am to midnight ET, 7 days a week. The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is also available to specifically help people with disabilities access services. To get help, call 1(888) 677-1199, Monday-Friday from 9 am to 8 pm ET or email [email protected].
Where can I find more information on COVID Therapeutics?
More information on these medications is available at these links:
- US Department of Health and Human Services
- COVID-19 Therapeutics
- Important Updates: Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics
- HHS Announces State/territory-coordinated Distribution System for Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics
- Federal Response to COVID-19: Monoclonal Antibody Clinical Implementation Guide
- HHS Side-by-Side Overview of Outpatient Therapies Authorized for Treatment of Mild-Moderate COVID-19
- HHS Combat COVID – Information for Healthcare Professionals
- HHS Combat COVID – Monoclonal Antibodies for High-Risk COVID-19 Positive Patients
- Monoclonal Antibodies
- Bamlanivimab and Etesevimab
- Eli Lilly’s Bebtelovimab
- EvusheldÔ (Pre-exposure prevention – tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab)
- REGEN-COVÔ (Casirivimab and Imdevimab)
- Emergency Use Authorization
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Fact Sheet for Patients, Parents and Caregivers
- Fact Sheet for Health Care Providers
- Important Prescribing Information – Temporary Alternative Packaging of Casirivimab and Imdevimab authorized to meet ongoing COVID-19 Public Health Demands
- Casirivimab and Imdevimab Co-Packaged Product Quick Reference Guide – Information for Temporary Alternative Packaging under EUA
- Baseball Card
- Sotrovimab
- Antiviral Drugs
- Remdesivir (Veklury®)
- Prescribing Information - FDA Approval
- Emergency Use Authorization
- Fact Sheet for Parents and Caregivers – FDA Emergency Use Authorization
- Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers – FDA Emergency Use Authorization
- Pfizer – PaxlovidÔ
- Merck – Molnupiravir
- Emergency Use Authorization
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Fact Sheet for Patients and Caregivers
- Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers
- Important Safety Information Regarding Use of Molnupiravir in Pregnancy and Individuals of Childbearing Potential
- Molnupiravir Checklist Tool for Prescribers: Patient Eligibility
- Remdesivir (Veklury®)