Oral COVID-19 Treatment Paxlovid Reduces Probability of 'Long COVID'

Analysis of Medical Records of US Veterans Affairs Hospital Users... 26% Reduction in Probability of Sequelae
Study on 9,217 COVID-19 Patients... Limitation of Majority Being White Males

A study has found that Paxlovid, Pfizer's oral COVID-19 treatment, partially reduces the risk of post-COVID complications. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A study has found that 'Paxlovid,' a COVID-19 oral antiviral developed by Pfizer, reduces the likelihood of experiencing post-COVID symptoms.

According to a Bloomberg report on the 5th (local time), a paper by researchers from the U.S. St. Louis Veterans Affairs Hospital containing these findings was posted that evening on the health science preprint server 'medRxiv.' A preprint server is a platform where papers submitted to formal academic journals and awaiting peer review are publicly shared online in advance.

The study analyzed medical records of users within the U.S. Veterans Affairs healthcare system, comparing 9,217 COVID-19 patients treated with Paxlovid to 47,123 patients who did not receive antiviral or antibody treatment within one month after COVID-19 infection.

According to the study, administering Paxlovid within five days of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis reduced the probability of experiencing post-COVID symptoms known as 'Long COVID' by 26%. Paxlovid use also lowered mortality and hospitalization rates, with death and hospitalization rates decreasing by 48% and 30%, respectively, between 30 and 90 days after diagnosis. These effects were observed across unvaccinated individuals, vaccinated individuals, those with booster shots, first-time COVID-19 infections, and reinfections.

The post-COVID symptoms whose risks were reduced by Paxlovid include arrhythmia, thrombosis, fatigue, muscle pain, shortness of breath, and neurocognitive impairment. The study subjects were all patients infected with COVID-19 during the second quarter of this year and were followed up until August 31. However, a limitation of the study is that most subjects were white males due to the characteristics of the Veterans Affairs healthcare population. The researchers noted that it is uncertain whether increasing the number of Paxlovid doses or duration of administration would further reduce the risk of post-COVID symptoms.

Paxlovid received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 22 last year, and the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety granted emergency use approval on December 27 last year. Subsequently, the government contracted with Pfizer for a total of 762,000 doses of Paxlovid, which were first imported into Korea on January 13.

According to the FDA, Paxlovid is indicated for adults and pediatric patients aged 12 and older who are at high risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection, including those with underlying conditions. Paxlovid must be taken every 12 hours for five days starting immediately after COVID-19 symptoms appear. Pfizer’s own clinical trials showed that administering Paxlovid within three days of symptom onset reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by up to 89%.

However, Paxlovid interacts with other medications, restricting its use in patients taking certain drugs. There are 28 ingredients that should not be taken with Paxlovid, 23 of which are approved drugs in Korea. In particular, two cholesterol-lowering drugs, lovastatin and simvastatin, are recommended to be discontinued at least 12 hours before starting Paxlovid. Currently, in Korea, Paxlovid is prescribed only to high-risk patients aged 60 and older or those aged 12 and older who are immunocompromised or have underlying conditions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.