May 2020 - Newsletter #1

The Drugs You Absolutely Need to Have on Hand During the Coronavirus Crisis

Famotidine, remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine are among the drugs being trialed in the fight against COVID-19 and we are receiving inquiries daily about whether customers may purchase these products from us. Are these the drugs you absolutely need to have on hand during the coronavirus crisis?

Famotidine

Famotidine is a commonly used heartburn medication found in the over-the-counter Pepcid line of products. Norwell Health, New York's largest healthcare provider, recently announced that scientists working on a drug trial for famotidine have "'a reasonable confidence'" that the drug may make a difference in the treatment of COVID-19, as reported by CNBC.

The researchers kept the trials a secret in order to secure enough supply of the drug for their own trials because they were concerned that if word got out, the entire nation's supply of the drug would be purchased by the public, leaving none for researchers to acquire for their trials.

Indeed, millions of people already use over-the-counter Pepcid to help control heartburn but since word of the trial spread, Pepcid is reportedly out of stock all over the United States. Consumers are stocking up on it even though some experts advise against taking it as a COVID-19 treatment. While NorthWestPharmacy.com does offer Pepcid and currently has some of it left in stock, we urge that customers use it for the fight against heartburn and not the fight against COVID-19 for which there is no proof it is effective yet. Famotidine containing products should not be taken in doses higher than recommended on their labels without first consulting a physician and should not be taken by injection unless administered by a qualified healthcare practitioner. Pepcid is a product which is administered orally.

Remdesivir

Remdesivir is a drug that was originally developed to treat Ebola but has not received formal approval from any health regulator worldwide for the treatment of any condition. However, it has recently shown some results in the treatment of COVID-19 such that the US FDA has given it an Emergency Use Authorization which allows it to be used in emergency situations. Initial studies show that it may help some COVID-19 patients recover faster. Remdesivir is not available in pharmacies anywhere in the world and nor is it available through NorthWestPharmacy.com at this time. According to media reports, it is expected to be made available directly through hospitals to treat coronavirus patients who are hospitalized.

Hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxychloroquine, also sold under the brand name Plaquenil, is a drug that generated much interest earlier and we are hopeful may still prove to helpful in the fight against COVID-19. Some countries report positive results with it but other recent results look less promising. This drug has long been used for the treatment of autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. We have many customers who live with such chronic health conditions and for whom hydroxychloroquine is critical in order to maintain their day-to-day quality of life. Not having it can have a serious negative impact on their health condition. Due to limited supply of this product, the dearth of scientific data that it impacts COVID-19 outcomes and our inability to supply it fast enough by mail-order for acute care purposes, we have limited sales of it to customers who require it for conditions unrelated to the coronavirus. To date, we have been able to fill all orders for our customers who regularly order this drug and we have stock on hand and ready to ship at this time. We apologize in advance that we are not in a position to supply everybody else who may want it and who may have a prescription for it. There is simply not enough supply available and it we cannot deny it to those who have come to rely on us for it to maintain their day-to-day living. Your understanding is appreciated.

Drugs You Absolutely Need Have on Hand

While the experimental treatments for the coronavirus are important to consider, we expect that if you should be in the unfortunate position to require an experimental treatment to treat COVID-19, it will be provided to you at a hospital so any shortages of those products at pharmacies are not ones you should be too concerned about.

Rather, it is access to the prescription drugs customers regularly take for all their health conditions that they should be more focused on. These are the drugs that you absolutely need to keep on hand during the coronavirus crisis, especially in light of the disruptions to the pharmaceutical supply chain and the growing list of stock outages. While these were forecasted before and we reported on them for many weeks, we now see them firsthand and there may be more of them depending on how quickly drug manufacturing resumes to normal production capacity, which could again be impacted if there is the anticipated "second wave" of coronavirus infections. Add to this the challenges in transporting available drugs during a time when most of the world's aircraft have been grounded as well as the customs clearance delays and postal service slowdown we've previously advised customers about.

We've been working around the clock with considerable success to overcome the challenges posed by the coronavirus in getting customers the affordable medicines we know you need to have and, yes, orders continue to be delivered. But given what we have been through over the past several weeks and the challenges that we see still lie ahead, we feel it is incumbent upon us to repeat the following.

We encourage customers who may need medications in the coming months to place their orders now and those whose pending orders await shipping to keep their orders active and in the queue, which ensures they are locked in at the original price quoted at the time of placing the order. That's beneficial to you because we've absorbed most of the coronavirus-related increases in product acquisition costs that we've faced to date but may be unable to do so for much longer. Also, the limited pharmaceutical supply, available cargo space for transport and customs clearances will all be allocated to customers on a first-come-first-served basis and it may be quite some time before worldwide drug supply and delivery systems return to normal. Until such time, orders are no longer being billed at the time they are placed. We will hold your billing information but you won't be billed until your order is dispensed by our pharmacists and ready to be shipped. But, if for any reason you are unable to wait, you can cancel and you won't be billed for any item that has not been shipped.

NorthWestPharmacy.com has been successfully taking, processing and delivering affordable prescription drugs throughout the entire coronavirus crisis. That's what we did before the crisis began, that's what we're doing now and that’s what we intend to do after the crisis is over. NorthWestPharmacy.com is one of the largest and most established online pharmacies providing lower cost medications from abroad to customers worldwide. No competitor offering lower cost pharmaceuticals from abroad can match our supply and delivery capacity during this difficult time so please rest assured we are leveraging all our capacity to ensure orders reach customers as fast as possible in the circumstances.

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