Have you been able to get Evusheld? Or find where it is offered?

Posted by mjq @mjq, Apr 22, 2022

I am an immunocompromised rheumatoid arthritis patient. If you are immunocompromised have you been able to find the drug EVUSHELD. It is used to treat immunocompromised patients as a measure to help prevent COVID and its serious side effects. Major news outlets are reporting supplies at Mayo but no medical professional I have spoken with knows where to get it. It must be acquired with a prescription from a doctor. News media (Kaiser Health News, New York Times) also report that pharmacies and doctors have supplies that are going unused.

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@gingerw

@califuture As for myself, I am an active blood cancer patient, also working daily with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease [unrelated to the cancer], fibromyalgia, and other issues. From what I have read and heard from others, because the availability of Evusheld is tenuous for now, there seems to be a "cherry-picking" for patients in the medical community. As of yesterdsy, I received my first two doses of vaccine Jan and Feb 2021, a booster Aug 2021, Evusheld Feb 2022, and a second booster yesterday May 2022.
Ginger

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My sister was called to get it! Her health planned seemed to use age as she has no rea immunity issue compared to me as I have my multiple myeloma and was not contacted or was it shared as a possibility for me despite the fact they are my oncology provider. Our neighbor has had three shots already. He is in remission and did have cancer so obviously does qualify but does seem there is a lot of uneven healthcare and information.

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I'm involved as a volunteer with Rob Relyea's site where people can search for Evusheld and other covid treatment drugs. (It's here: https://rrelyea.github.io/evusheld/).

In the course of working on it I have run across a few things that might be useful to people trying to get it. So here are some slightly random Evusheld resources.

-HOW MUCH IS AVAILABLE: The site I linked above tells you how much Evusheld is available at each site that has some, and in each state as a whole. Many doctors mistakenly think there is almost none available, and it can only given to those with extreme immune suppression. There actually is a fair amount available in most states. And it is being distributed extremely slowly. Only about 1/3 of the amount that has been sent to the states since January 1 has been given to patients. The rest is sitting on pharmacy shelves. If your doctor thinks there is very little available, you can show them the numbers on this site. Or you can find the exact same numbers (though in a less user-friendly way) on the US government site, which is at https://covid-19-therapeutics-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com

-GUIDELINES INFO SOURCE: The guidelines in the Emergency Use Authorization say Evusheld is to be given to people who are moderately or severely immune suppressed, but give few other details. Here is a site that spells in out detail who meets those criteria: https://www.upmc.com/coronavirus/immunocompromised-patients
This is not a government agency, just some sort of large health service organization in Pennsylvania. Still, they sound reputable and their info makes sense. If a doctor is not sure whether you qualify, can can show them the info on this page.

-SITES IN 4 STATES THAT ACTUALLY ADVERTISE THAT THEY GIVE EVUSHELD. I believe all but one of them require that your doctor send them an order, but if your doctor will not do that it is worth contacting them and asking whether they have a doctor who will evaluate you and prescribe it. (Of course, you would need to bring documentation of your illness and meds.).

--Massachusetts: This page tells about getting Evusheld in Mass.: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/evusheld-tixagevimabcilgavimab#i-think-i’m-eligible-for-evusheld.-how-can-i-get-it?- Most of the sites they list are institutions where you have to be a patient of the institution to receive Evusheld there, but Mass. site also mentions a chain of mobile clinics called Gothams that take all comers.

—Pennsylvania. This place looks promising. https://www.upmc.com/services/infusion-services

—Michigan: This places look promising: https://www.sparrow.org/covidcare/sparrow-covid-19-outpatient-treatment/.
So does this place: https://www.solvhealth.com/search?l=42.742393,-84.521811,Lansing,%20MI&patientType=adults&appointmentTime=&reasonForVisit=Evusheld&providerType=urgent_care&isCovidTestRelatedSearch=false&shf=false&requestedServices=gmYrng

—Florida: This place is especially promising: https://www.icaremm.com/evusheld-covid19-treatment-miami-florida While they have a link up saying “Get on the wait list,” when I called them they had Evusheld available immediately. For people near them, in the Miami area, they would actually bring the shot to your home (for a fee, of course). Others need to go to one of their centers, which are near Miami. I called and asked whether they required a doctor’s order, or would evaluate someone themselves and give Evusheld if someone met their criteria, and they said they would evaluate the person themselves (said the charge for the evaluation would be about $150, and they could take insurance). I must admit they sound like they play a bit fast and loose, but the person I spoke with was quite pleasant and reasonable and not at all pushy.

—A way of hunting for Evusheld providers who are open to the public (as opposed to only giving it to patients in their hospital or whatever): Try going to Google and entering “how obtain Evusheld in [your state name]”. That is how I found the places above, including the Florida one.

—If your state has some kind of hotline for Covid help and information, try calling them and just explaining the situation: You are sure you qualify for it, but your doctor is unwilling to write an order for it. I know of at least one person who got Evusheld this way.

—And this may be worth looking into: If you go to Twitter and search for Tweets mentioning Evusheld, you will find a couple people advertising to locate it for you. Obviously this is a bit sleazy, and I’m sure they charge for the service, but if I were desperate I would consider it. I do find it believable that someone like a pharmacist who knows a bunch of other pharmacists & clinics would be able to source some in a legal way. As I said, there is actually quite a bit of Evusheld in most states, sitting on pharmacy shelves. And some pharmacies have little doc-in-the-box clinics affiliated with them, and it might be that some of these docs would be willing to write an order for Evusheld. If you try this, be cautious and suspicious and ask for references.

Wishing you all the best! If I find out more, I will come back and tell you.

REPLY
@califuture

I'm involved as a volunteer with Rob Relyea's site where people can search for Evusheld and other covid treatment drugs. (It's here: https://rrelyea.github.io/evusheld/).

In the course of working on it I have run across a few things that might be useful to people trying to get it. So here are some slightly random Evusheld resources.

-HOW MUCH IS AVAILABLE: The site I linked above tells you how much Evusheld is available at each site that has some, and in each state as a whole. Many doctors mistakenly think there is almost none available, and it can only given to those with extreme immune suppression. There actually is a fair amount available in most states. And it is being distributed extremely slowly. Only about 1/3 of the amount that has been sent to the states since January 1 has been given to patients. The rest is sitting on pharmacy shelves. If your doctor thinks there is very little available, you can show them the numbers on this site. Or you can find the exact same numbers (though in a less user-friendly way) on the US government site, which is at https://covid-19-therapeutics-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com

-GUIDELINES INFO SOURCE: The guidelines in the Emergency Use Authorization say Evusheld is to be given to people who are moderately or severely immune suppressed, but give few other details. Here is a site that spells in out detail who meets those criteria: https://www.upmc.com/coronavirus/immunocompromised-patients
This is not a government agency, just some sort of large health service organization in Pennsylvania. Still, they sound reputable and their info makes sense. If a doctor is not sure whether you qualify, can can show them the info on this page.

-SITES IN 4 STATES THAT ACTUALLY ADVERTISE THAT THEY GIVE EVUSHELD. I believe all but one of them require that your doctor send them an order, but if your doctor will not do that it is worth contacting them and asking whether they have a doctor who will evaluate you and prescribe it. (Of course, you would need to bring documentation of your illness and meds.).

--Massachusetts: This page tells about getting Evusheld in Mass.: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/evusheld-tixagevimabcilgavimab#i-think-i’m-eligible-for-evusheld.-how-can-i-get-it?- Most of the sites they list are institutions where you have to be a patient of the institution to receive Evusheld there, but Mass. site also mentions a chain of mobile clinics called Gothams that take all comers.

—Pennsylvania. This place looks promising. https://www.upmc.com/services/infusion-services

—Michigan: This places look promising: https://www.sparrow.org/covidcare/sparrow-covid-19-outpatient-treatment/.
So does this place: https://www.solvhealth.com/search?l=42.742393,-84.521811,Lansing,%20MI&patientType=adults&appointmentTime=&reasonForVisit=Evusheld&providerType=urgent_care&isCovidTestRelatedSearch=false&shf=false&requestedServices=gmYrng

—Florida: This place is especially promising: https://www.icaremm.com/evusheld-covid19-treatment-miami-florida While they have a link up saying “Get on the wait list,” when I called them they had Evusheld available immediately. For people near them, in the Miami area, they would actually bring the shot to your home (for a fee, of course). Others need to go to one of their centers, which are near Miami. I called and asked whether they required a doctor’s order, or would evaluate someone themselves and give Evusheld if someone met their criteria, and they said they would evaluate the person themselves (said the charge for the evaluation would be about $150, and they could take insurance). I must admit they sound like they play a bit fast and loose, but the person I spoke with was quite pleasant and reasonable and not at all pushy.

—A way of hunting for Evusheld providers who are open to the public (as opposed to only giving it to patients in their hospital or whatever): Try going to Google and entering “how obtain Evusheld in [your state name]”. That is how I found the places above, including the Florida one.

—If your state has some kind of hotline for Covid help and information, try calling them and just explaining the situation: You are sure you qualify for it, but your doctor is unwilling to write an order for it. I know of at least one person who got Evusheld this way.

—And this may be worth looking into: If you go to Twitter and search for Tweets mentioning Evusheld, you will find a couple people advertising to locate it for you. Obviously this is a bit sleazy, and I’m sure they charge for the service, but if I were desperate I would consider it. I do find it believable that someone like a pharmacist who knows a bunch of other pharmacists & clinics would be able to source some in a legal way. As I said, there is actually quite a bit of Evusheld in most states, sitting on pharmacy shelves. And some pharmacies have little doc-in-the-box clinics affiliated with them, and it might be that some of these docs would be willing to write an order for Evusheld. If you try this, be cautious and suspicious and ask for references.

Wishing you all the best! If I find out more, I will come back and tell you.

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This is helpful. Have you any information on any adverse reactions to Evursheld?

REPLY
@kspowell

This is helpful. Have you any information on any adverse reactions to Evursheld?

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No, sorry, I'm not a medical professional with specialized knowledge of that kind, so not know about adverse rections & such.

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Hi guys, this is califuture, who put up a long post yesterday about a site where you can search for Evusheld, https://rrelyea.github.io/evusheld.

I found one more site yesterday that definitely offers Evusheld, but looks, let's say, informal enough that they might be willing to evaluate you for medical appropriateness and write the order themselves. It's here:
https://synergywellnessal.com in Huntsville AL. It's a beauty spa, but has a physician on staff.

Of course, if your doctor is not willing to write an order for you, it's on you to be sure getting this stuff is a good idea. I have not run across any alarming info about Evusheld, but it's possible it has serious side effects or dangers for some. But I hear all the time from people with quite serious illnesses who would clearly qualify, whose doctors are for some reason refusing to write an Evusheld order. Heard yesterday from someone who girlfriend has myasthenia gravis, takes immune suppressants to control it and has been made zero antibodies from any of her 4 vaccination -- but doctor says she does not qualify for Evusheld. Some doctors don't know much about it, or think there is almost none available and it is reserved for people who just had an organ transplant.

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@tml

My sister was called to get it! Her health planned seemed to use age as she has no rea immunity issue compared to me as I have my multiple myeloma and was not contacted or was it shared as a possibility for me despite the fact they are my oncology provider. Our neighbor has had three shots already. He is in remission and did have cancer so obviously does qualify but does seem there is a lot of uneven healthcare and information.

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Have a look at this info this place gives about who qualifies: https://www.upmc.com/coronavirus/immunocompromised-patients. Multiple myeloma is right there on the page.

The info that came with the Evusheld Emergency Use Authorization just says it is for people who are "moderately or severely immunocompromised." but does not spell out much about who meets those criteria. The place I linked above does. Of course, that is just their opinion. They're not a goverment agency, just a medical organization in Pennsylvania with a lot of sites, b.ut it sounds reasonable to me, and I think it would to most doctors

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@raphyboi

I had two shots of Evusheld on Feb.17. After a few weeks I got a call that I needed two more as further research had shown it to be 300 instead of 150. No side effects. Seems to me to be a no brainer if you can't tolerate the Vaccines. Protection is around 80+%.

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Did u have reactions to Covid vaccine?

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I received Evusheld at Lake Mary Advent Health facility,

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@beegie

Did u have reactions to Covid vaccine?

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Yes, I had two shots of Phizer and my neuropathy (CIDP) got worse, to the point of having to use a wheelchair to go any distance. After about 6 months the shots wore off and I regained my ability to function as before.

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