The latest trend of delivering vital medications and treatments to people's homes could improve healthcare access and patient outcomes, CNN reported Dec. 8.
With 26 million Americans living in pharmacy deserts where they can't get Paxlovid, Pfizer's popular COVID-19 antiviral, prescription deliveries may be the next frontier to equitable access to pharmaceuticals.
"The driving distance to the nearest site or the geographic accessibility of the places where Paxlovid is being offered doesn't seem to be the primary driver of why these populations are not getting the treatments they need," Rohan Khazanchi, MD, a resident at Boston-based Harvard Medical School and health equity consultant for the New York City health department, told CNN.
This past fall, retail pharmacies have been joining the growing trend of delivering drugs. Walgreens partnered with Uber and DoorDash to help deliver free Paxlovid packets to patients who have a prescription but can't access the pharmacy, and Rite Aid made a similar collaboration with Grubhub for over-the-counter drugs and wellness products.