Study: Paxlovid effective for COVID-19, not tied to higher risk of reboundThe oral antiviral drug Paxlovid is safe and effective for treating COVID-19 and carries no additional risk of viral rebound beyond other treatments, according to a meta-analysis published late last week in the Journal of Infection.Paxlovid is recommended for treating patients who have mild or moderate COVID-19 and are at high risk for severe illness.
Cases of viral rebound after Paxlovid treatment have been widely reported, including that of US President Joe Biden, who tested positive for COVID-19 after Paxlovid treatment in July.Researchers from Guizhou Medical University in Guiyang, China, led the meta-analysis of 13 controlled trials that included 186,306 patients published from Dec 1, 2021, to Sep 20, 2022.
The studies compared the use of Paxlovid with either usual care or a placebo and/or another drug (eg, a different antiviral, monoclonal antibodies).Of the 13 studies, 3 found no difference in the risk of viral rebound in the Paxlovid and control groups (odds ratio [OR] of rebound among Paxlovid patients vs controls, 0.99).
Five studies on adverse-event rates identified no difference between the Paxlovid and control groups (OR, 1.07).Among the seven studies on the effectiveness of Paxlovid in preventing death or hospitalization, the OR of death in the Paxlovid versus the control group was 0.12, indicating an 88% reduction.