This message is in response to an open letter sent by me, the founder of Scripted, a Chicago-based healthcare startup aiming to enable pharmacists to expand access to care by providing convenient care for non-urgent, common conditions.

In my original letter, I asked Chief Scientist Dr. Jacqueline O’Shaughnessy to explain why the emergency use authorization (EUA) issued for both Molnupiravir and Paxlovid contained language specifically prohibiting pharmacists from prescribing these medications.

Our letter was co-signed by more than 800 concerned patients, pharmacists, pharmacy owners, and other medical professionals. who agree pharmacists are qualified to prescribe COVID-19 medications to patients who tested positive.

In the FDA’s the agency provided specific reasoning for their exclusion of pharmacists, including concerns about drug interactions and pre-existing conditions.

We challenged what differentiates oral COVID pills from a drug like Tamiflu, for example, which was granted an EUA during the Swine Flu pandemic of 2009. Our question remains unanswered.

Read the full response from the FDA below. Then, add your name for additional updates on pharmacists’ prescriptive authority for COVID pills.