The antiviral drug Paxlovid is great at treating COVID-19 infections, but a new study casts doubt on its effectiveness at preventing symptoms associated with long COVID.
Nearly 9,600 veterans given Paxlovid had about the same risk of most post-COVID side effects as vets not treated with the antiviral med, according to findings published Oct. 31 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study suggests that otherwise healthy people infected with COVID might be wasting their time if they take Paxlovid to ward off long-term symptoms, said lead researcher Dr. George Ioannou, director of hepatology with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle.
Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) is typically intended for COVID patients who are at high risk of dying or landing in the hospital, because they have existing health problems that make a severe infection more likely.
“If the only reason you are taking Paxlovid is because you think it will prevent you from developing complications of COVID-19, then maybe you should think twice about that,” Ioannou said.