Paxlovid, Pfizer’s Covid-19 antiviral treatment, is 37% effective at preventing hospitalization or death in high-risk patients compared to no treatment, according to a study published Thursday in JAMA Network Open, well below Pfizer’s 88% efficacy rate. and regulators. As reported in clinical trials in 2021, it remains highly effective at preventing death.
The study found that hospitalizations and just taking deaths into account, the drug is 84% effective.
The observational study analyzed the electronic fitness records of thousands of Cleveland Clinic Health System patients in 2022 and early 2023 to determine the efficacy of Paxlovid, employing real-world insights rather than previously used clinical trials.
The study also found that another antiviral treatment for Covid-19, Merck’s Lachevrio, was 42% effective in preventing hospitalization or death and 77% effective against death alone.
Why the power has decreased. The study authors noted that the clinical trials were conducted on unvaccinated patients who had limited natural immunity, while this study was conducted on a real-world population that included vaccinated and previously inflamed patients who had other defenses against the coronavirus. He noted that the original clinical studies ended when the Delta variant was the most common strain of the virus, while his study was conducted when the Omicron variant was, suggesting the drug could work with other strains.
Although they note that their effectiveness has decreased, the study authors still claim that those drugs are useful tools in the fight against Covid-19, arguing that any of the drugs can be used in non-hospitalized Covid-19 patients to save them time. Maximum Serious Consequences.
Paxlovid is still “definitely for high-risk patients,” said Danyu Lin, a professor at the University of North Carolina, one of the study’s authors, according to Bloomberg.
Paxlovid, a series of oral pills, will be first administered in December 2021 and will be taken at the onset of the patient’s infection. They are designed to prevent patients who already have Covid-19 from being hospitalized or dying, especially patients who are at higher risk of severe Covid-19 due to their age or medical condition. The new data on Paxlovid’s efficacy comes amid fears of a new wave of Covid-19 this fall. In the week ending Sept. 9, another 20,538 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, a 7. 7% increase from last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the start of the pandemic, 1. 14 million people have died from the virus.
Use of nirmatrelvir or molnupiravir and severe outcomes of Omicron infections (JAMA open network)
Pfizer’s Paxlovid Covid Pill Got Full FDA Approval (Forbes)
WHO approves Pfizer’s Paxlovid antiviral tablet for high-risk Covid patients, but says they are “negligible” for low-risk teams (Forbes)
Full policy and updates on the coronavirus.