Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Is there really a Paxlovid COVID-19 rebound?

Plus more health news |

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COVID-19 rebounds can happen even if you don't take Paxlovid
By Alice Park
Senior Health Correspondent

Reports of rebound COVID-19 infections—testing positive, then negative, then positive again—among people taking the antiviral Paxlovid have started to mount. Which raises the question: what’s the likelihood of a similar rebound if you don’t take Paxlovid?

That’s what a new study set out to understand. It’s not the definitive answer about how much rebound is associated with a course of Paxlovid treatment—which involves taking pills over five days—but it offers some useful insight for those making the decision of whether or not to take the drug. Here’s what the study found:

  • Among people who received a placebo in a large study of various COVID-19 medications, 3% reported rebound symptoms and higher virus levels within a month after their initial symptoms.
  • That was similar to the rebound found among those who took Paxlovid in a separate study Pfizer conducted in order to receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
  • The bottom line: Clinical trials show that Paxlovid offers 90% protection from hospitalization and death despite any viral rebound after treatment—but we need more research to determine for sure how often rebound occurs.

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Today's newsletter was written by Alice Park and Haley Weiss, and edited by Elijah Wolfson.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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