[Paxlovid image courtesy of James Heilman, MD, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
The antiviral nirmatrelvir in Paxlovid reduced the likelihood of people experiencing long-term symptoms after a COVID-19 infection, according to a recent preprint. Individuals who took Paxlovid within five days after infection were 26% less likely to have symptoms of long COVID 90 days after infection.The drug was associated with a reduced risk of long-COVID symptoms, more formally referred to as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). The benefits were found across patients regardless of whether they were unvaccinated, vaccinated or boosted. Additionally, the study authors found that Paxlovid reduced PASC risk whether patients were infected with COVID-19 for the first time or were reinfected with the virus.
The study concluded that nirmatrelvir recipients were less likely to experience 10 of 12 long-COVID symptoms, inc…