Study Supports Paxlovid’s Efficacy Against COVID-19 and Omicron Variant

Pfizer’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir, ritonavir) significantly reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 infection or mortality, Israeli researchers reported.

The study used the database of Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, and examined 180,351 individuals. Eligible participants for the study tested positive for COVID-19, were at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 and had no contraindications for Paxlovid use.

The researchers concluded that Paxlovid is effective against COVID-19, including against the Omicron variant, regardless of vaccine status.

The drug appeared more effective in older patients, immunosuppressed patients and patients with underlying neurological or cardiovascular disease, reported Ronza Najjar-Debbiny, a physician at the Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center in Haifa, and colleagues in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.