Walgreens Announces Free Paxlovid Delivery
COVID cases are rising again, but deaths have remained low compared to earlier seasons, thanks in part to treatments like Paxlovid.
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If you have a prescription for Paxlovid, you can get it delivered right to your door for free through a Walgreens partnership with DoorDash and Uber, the pharmacy giant announced Thursday.
Anyone who lives within 15 miles of a Walgreens location (there are 8,000 stores participating in the US) will be able to get Paxlovid delivered on the same day, Walgreens said, which covers about 92% of the population. Those who live more than 15 miles out might be able to use the 1- to 2-day delivery service to fill their prescription, also for free.
Walgreens said the Paxlovid program is meant to increase access to the antiviral that treats COVID-19 in higher-risk patients during the first few days of their illness. A speedy delivery and medication start is important for Paxlovid because the pills need to be taken within the first few days of someone's illness to work.
The partnership is also a direct response to the White House's call to pharmacies to get Paxlovid in the hands of people living in underserved communities, who may not have an easy time filling a prescription.
Paxlovid is expected to remain effective at treating COVID-19 even as new versions of the virus, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, have become dominant in the US, according the US Food and Drug Administration.
The antiviral is a short series of pills that needs to be started within five days of someone developing COVID-19 symptoms, or as soon as possible after a positive test. It's been underused in the US, where a large number of people who come down with COVID-19 would be eligible for a prescription because they have a preexisting medical condition. Some medical conditions or factors that make someone eligible include being older than 65, having diabetes, having moderate asthma and being overweight.
To use the Walgreens free delivery program for Paxlovid, you first need a prescription from a medical provider. The antiviral requires a prescription, in part, because there is a list of medications that may interfere with it and a health care provider will need to weigh the pros and cons of interrupting them for treatment. After a Walgreens pharmacy fills your Paxlovid prescription, go to the Walgreens same-day delivery website, use the Walgreens app if you have one or call the store to have your antiviral delivered.
Walgreens says that orders must be received by 4 p.m. to be eligible for same-day delivery. Outside of Paxlovid, rules and exclusions for Walgreens' delivery service may apply to other items, and pricing varies. So if you'd like to have multiple medications delivered, call your local location or see the Walgreens help center.