How a ‘weighted lottery’ helped underserved patients get a scarce Covid drug
Residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods were far more likely to be allocated a scarce Covid-19 drug in a "weighted lottery."
In the midst of the Covid-19 surge during the winter of 2021, the Pittsburgh-based UPMC health system received 450 doses of Evusheld — a scarce antibody cocktail being used at the time to prevent immunocompromised patients from being infected by the coronavirus. But those doses were just a fraction of a percent of what the sprawling 35-hospital system needed to protect its 200,000 immunocompromised patients.
“It was quite frankly a double-edge sword. Yes, we have a great therapy, but oh my gosh, how are we going to get this to all of our patients and make sure everyone has equitable access?” said Erin McCreary, an infectious disease pharmacist at UPMC and the lead author of a paper out Friday describing the approach her team devised to distribute the drug fairly — especially to disadvantaged patients.
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