UC Researchers Examine Effects of Pfizer’s Paxlovid on ‘Long COVID’ Patients

Pfizer’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) can improve symptoms of patients with “long COVID” infections, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

Michael J. Peluso and colleagues studied the drug’s effect on three patients with the ongoing COVID symptoms. One, a 42-year-old male, saw improvement in long COVID symptoms after a five-day Paxlovid treatment course, while another 48-year-old male experienced a rebound of COVID-19 symptoms four days after completing a five-day regimen of Paxlovid.

The third case involved a 43-year-old female patient who noticed improvement in her fatigue symptoms one day after completing her Paxlovid treatment regimen. She still has shortness of breath and myalgia, but she was able to resume activities of daily living, the researchers said.

The draft research paper, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, is available on the Research Square preprint site here: bit.ly/38bofsf.