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Paxlovid reduces the risk of long covid, according to a study by the Department of Veterans Affairs

2022-11-07T03:06:57.053Z


Paxlovid reduces the risk of prolonged covid, according to a new study from the US Department of Veterans Affairs.


Is the Paxlovid pill safe against covid-19?

2:21

(CNN) --

Paxlovid, the antiviral pill that reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from Covid-19, also reduces the risk of prolonged Covid, according to a new study by researchers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

The study, published online as a preprint on Saturday, analyzed the electronic records of more than 56,000 veterans with Covid-19, including more than 9,000 who were treated with Paxlovid in the first five days of their infection.

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The analysis showed that people treated with Paxlovid had a 26% lower risk of developing several conditions linked to long covid such as heart disease, blood disorders, fatigue, liver or kidney disease, muscle pain, neurocognitive impairment and shortness of breath.

This is equivalent to 2.3 fewer cases of long-term covid conditions per 100 people three months after their diagnosis.

Paxlovid also reduced the risk of hospitalization or death after a case of acute covid-19.

In the analysis, however, there was no statistically significant relationship between taking Paxlovid and the risk of two long-term covid conditions: cough and a diagnosis of diabetes.

The study was published on the medRxiv preprint server and has not been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal.

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The patients included in the study had an average age of 65 years and were diagnosed with covid-19 between March 1 and June 30, 2022. All of them had at least one risk factor that could lead them to develop a disease. serious, such as older age, diabetes, or current smoking.

According to the study, Paxlovid reduced the risk of prolonged covid in unvaccinated, vaccinated and booster people, and in people experiencing their first covid-19 infection or reinfection.

"Paxlovid reduces the risk of severe covid-19 in the acute phase, and now we have evidence that it can help reduce the risk of long covid," Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, head of research and development of the St. Louis Veterans Health Care System and leader of the study.

The study has several limitations, including that most of the people included were white and male, which could limit its relevance more generally.

The analysis captured Paxlovid use only through the veterans system and considered only 12 conditions associated with long COVID, even though many people with this condition describe a long range of symptoms.

What is Paxlovid?

Millions of people who have had covid-19 face a series of lasting symptoms from their initial illness, but there is no specific treatment for long-term covid.

Paxlovid is an antiviral treatment for COVID-19 that combines a newer antiviral, nirmatrelvir, with an older drug, ritonavir.

It is available to people ages 12 and up and has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in people at risk of severe COVID-19.

The drug is made by Pfizer and comes in pill form that is taken for five days.

It works best if you start taking it within five days of the onset of symptoms.

The researchers noted that it is not clear whether a longer duration or a higher dose, or both, could further reduce the risk of long-term covid, or whether starting Paxlovid after an acute covid-19 illness would reduce the risk of covid-19. long covid.

The National Institutes of Health said last month that it would launch a study of Paxlovid as a treatment for patients already suffering from long-term covid.

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-11-07

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