But what does that look like when it comes to prescriptions? In the United States, private insurers and federal healthcare services control how often drugs can be refilled. On the supply side, drug shortages can and do occur, because manufacturers source many of the ingredients in prescription drugs from overseas. What types of “just in case” medications should be in the emergency toolbox, especially if someone in the household who relies on medications becomes ill or a mandatory lockdown or quarantine occurs? The key is to plan ahead. RELATED: What People With Heart Disease Need to Know About COVID-19
The Best Rx for Prescription Medications During the Coronavirus Crisis
The COVID-19 situation is moving rapidly. But it’s important for people to avoid becoming so distracted that they forget to take their medications, says Mark Fendrick, MD, the director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design at the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor. “Take your medicine as prescribed, and don’t split your pills or skip your pills.” This advice also applies to people without insurance, who may be heartened to learn that there are alternative strategies for acquiring prescription drugs. For example, PhRMA’s Medicine Assistance Tool can help consumers locate available resources and corporate programs that address prescription needs, instead of scrimping on their doses. Assess prescription drug supplies based on when medicines need to be refilled, insurance rules for early refills, and prescription length (for instance 30, 60, or 90 days). “Know your parameters and don’t hoard expensive medications if you don’t need to,” says Dr. Fendrick. It’s also important to speak with your pharmacist (or local pharmacy staff) to learn if refill restrictions can be waived. At the same time, contact the insurer plan benefit department directly to ask if they are waiving refill restrictions because of COVID-19. American Health Insurance Plans has a current list of individual insurers’ prescription waivers in response to the outbreak on its website. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Coronavirus
Consider Synchronizing Your Prescriptions
As many as 69 million Americans take three or more prescriptions a month, according to the American Pharmacists Association. To avoid delays in prescription refills, many pharmacies offer medication synchronization (also called med sync) programs, which provide an opportunity to pick up all medications on a single day each month in coordination with the pharmacy staff. These programs also include automatic call or text reminders roughly a week before prescriptions need to be picked up. Today, more than 5,000 pharmacies nationwide offer this option.
Learn if Mail Order Is Available for Your Medications
Home delivery is a convenient service for many people, and never more so than in the midst of a national health crisis. Not only have chains like CVS announced that they are waiving local delivery fees during the COVID-19 outbreak, but most major pharmacy chains also offer prescription mail order services. Fendrick points out that despite Italy’s national lockdown, mail and deliveries are ongoing, and he doesn’t anticipate that it will be any different in the United States. Because mail order prescription services commonly work through insurers, contact the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM; companies that work between insurers and doctors/pharmacists to ensure fair drug pricing and benefits) to learn how to sign up. PBMs are also an excellent resource for prescription refill information and refill waivers. RELATED: Expert Tips on the Coronavirus: Be Prepared, Don’t Panic
Should You Worry About Drug Shortages and Supply Chain Issues?
The FDA underscores that it is working directly with drug manufacturers to “evaluate their entire supply chain, including active pharmaceutical ingredients, finished dose forms, and any components that may be impacted in any area of the supply chain.” Beyond that, scarce information is available. Both Dr. Adalja and Stephen Eckel, PharmD, an associate dean and clinical associate professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, explain that drug companies in the United States are allowed to shield specific details about supply sourcing and countries of origin, and even names of drugs in short supply that might be linked directly to COVID-19. (Note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] does have a complete list of drug shortages but not the specifics driving them.) Dr. Eckel adds that because that information is not publicly available, pharmacists are not able to forecast which specific drugs or drug components might be in short supply over the next two or three months. Take heart. Although Adalja points out that experts have long considered the U.S. drug supply chain fragile, just last week, his colleague Goker Aydin, PhD, a professor at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Baltimore, said that previous disasters (for example the 2003 SARS outbreak or the 2011 Tohoku earthquake) prompted global brands to shift their supply-chain thinking to “resiliency,” enabling them to detect early warning signs of disruption and find alternative manufacturing sources and backup suppliers. Eckel says that during prior national or regional emergency situations, he’s always been impressed with how quickly pharmacies are able to get up and running quickly to ensure that people who need medications are able to get them. He also underscores an important point that should calm frayed nerves: Previous U.S. drug shortages have mostly focused on drugs used within hospital settings. Fendrick concurs, and says that while he’s been trying to stay on top of any chemical entities that may be in short supply in the coming weeks or months, he has yet to hear of any. In the meantime, the advice is clear: Get your supplies in order, but don’t stockpile.
