Paxlovid does not reduce risk of long COVID: Study

In a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Virology, researchers from the University of California–San Francisco found that Paxlovid, the first FDA-approved antiviral pill for mild and moderate COVID-19, did not prevent long COVID. The study included over 4,600 vaccinated individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 between March and August 2022. Around 20 percent of patients took Paxlovid, while 80 percent did not. The study revealed that there was little difference between the two groups in terms of long-COVID symptoms, with approximately 16 percent of Paxlovid users experiencing long-COVID symptoms compared to 14 percent in the non-Paxlovid group.

The research also highlighted that just over 20 percent of individuals who took Paxlovid experienced rebound symptoms, with 10.8 percent reporting one or more long-COVID symptoms after rebound. Retesting positive after initially testing negative was common among rebound patients, affecting 25.7 percent of those who took Paxlovid.

This study adds to the growing body of research on the efficacy and limitations of Paxlovid, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of its impact on COVID-19 outcomes.

Reference:

Matthew S. Durstenfeld, Michael J. Peluso, Feng Lin, Noah D. Peyser, Carmen Isasi, Thomas W. Carton, Timothy J. Henrich, Steven G. Deeks, Jeffrey E. Olgin, Mark J. Pletcher, Alexis L. Beatty, Gregory M. Marcus, Priscilla Y. Hsue, Association of nirmatrelvir for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection with subsequent Long COVID symptoms in an observational cohort study, Journal of Medical Virology, https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.29333