Study Reveals Pfizer’s Paxlovid Ineffective as 15-Day Treatment for Long COVID

**Pfizer’s Paxlovid Shows No Relief for Long COVID Symptoms, Stanford Study Finds**

In a recent study conducted by Stanford University, Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral treatment, Paxlovid, was found ineffective in alleviating the symptoms of long COVID. The 15-day course of treatment, which had sparked hope among scientists and patients alike for its potential benefits against prolonged COVID-19 symptoms, did not show significant results in a trial involving 155 participants.

Long COVID, characterized by a variety of symptoms persisting for months after the initial coronavirus infection, has been a challenging aspect of the pandemic, with no proven treatments available yet. The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of Paxlovid, a two-drug oral treatment, in easing symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, body aches, and gastrointestinal or cardiovascular issues. However, the participants, who had been experiencing symptoms for an average of more than 16 months, reported no noticeable improvement compared to a placebo.

Dr. Upinder Singh, a professor at Stanford Medicine and a lead researcher in the study, expressed disappointment in the findings. “We did not see a measurable difference based on patient-reported outcomes in the six composite symptoms together,” Dr. Singh stated, highlighting the lack of benefit in individual symptoms as well.

Despite the setback, Dr. Singh suggested that further research might still find Paxlovid beneficial, possibly with longer treatment courses or in patients with a shorter duration of illness. The study also confirmed the safety of extending Paxlovid’s use to 15 days, beyond its current 5-day prescription guideline for early infection stages.

Pfizer, which funded the long COVID trial, remains committed to exploring Paxlovid’s potential, indicating that these results will not deter its ongoing studies into the drug’s efficacy for long COVID treatment.

Paxlovid has been a key player in the fight against COVID-19, significantly reducing hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk, unvaccinated individuals. However, its effectiveness for those at standard risk, including vaccinated patients, has been harder to demonstrate.

The collaboration between Stanford researchers, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, and Pfizer underscores the continued effort to find effective treatments for long COVID, a condition that remains a significant concern for patients and healthcare providers worldwide.