Antiviral treatment used to fight COVID hospitalizations, deaths shows some promise

Adam Cohen and Dr. Rod McEver
·2 min read
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Adam’s Journal

Several people I know who’ve recently come down with COVID-19 have been treated with a drug called Paxlovid. How effective is it, and are there any downsides?

Dr. McEver Prescribes

Approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration in December, Paxlovid is an antiviral pill. In clinical trials conducted before the omicron wave, the medication reduced the risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk, unvaccinated people by 88% when administered within five days of initial symptoms.

The drug’s use has soared with the omicron surge: A recent analysis estimated that almost half of COVID-19 patients now take antiviral medications, with most using Paxlovid.

More: As an even more contagious omicron subvariant spreads, Oklahoma's COVID-19 cases are rising

Tablets of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral medication, Paxlovid, are packaged into blisters, labelled with the characteristic yellow and blue colors to indicate the morning and evening doses and then cut into the right size in an automated process before being boxed.
Tablets of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral medication, Paxlovid, are packaged into blisters, labelled with the characteristic yellow and blue colors to indicate the morning and evening doses and then cut into the right size in an automated process before being boxed.

Most people don’t experience serious side effects, though some may have diarrhea, muscle pain or an altered sense of taste. (All of these can likewise be COVID-19 symptoms.) The drug also has a bitter taste and can interact with other medications and supplements, so your health care provider may advise you to hold off on those while taking Paxlovid.

Some who take the drug have their symptoms rebound following a five-day course of treatment. However, this seems to occur only in a small percentage of patients, and in most, it hasn’t been severe. In clinical trials, Pfizer, the drug’s maker, noted rebounds in both those receiving Paxlovid and placebo.

More: First known case of monkeypox in Oklahoma investigated Friday, health officials say

A recent observational study in Israeli patients found that during the early stages of the omicron wave, Paxlovid reduced the risk of severe COVID and death in both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. The new study found Paxlovid most effective in older, unvaccinated or under-vaccinated (non-boosted) people.

Still, taken across all populations, the drug’s reduction of severe COVID and death — 46% — was less than in the initial clinical trial. This is likely attributable both to the newer omicron strain and to patients, outside the strict confines of a clinical trial, starting to take the drug longer after developing symptoms.

How much Paxlovid helps younger, fully vaccinated people remains an open question that researchers are now studying. In the meantime, as a low-risk medication offering the potential to help many — and especially those at greatest risk for severe disease — Paxlovid will continue to see wide use.

McEver, a physician-scientist, is vice president of research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. Cohen is a marathoner and OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel. Submit your health questions for them to contact@omrf.org.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid shows some promise in reducing risk