Evidence from a recent study suggests that Paxlovid, an antiviral drug used to help high-risk COVID-19 patients, may also help people suffering from Long COVID. While this can be a good starting point, scientists warn that the safety and efficacy of Paxlovid for long COVID is still untested and unknown.*

What is Paxlovid?

In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an antiviral drug called Paxlovid to help COVID-19 patients 65 and older or those with underlying health conditions. Studies showed the five-day treatment could help lower a person’s risk of severe health complications, like hospitalization or death, by almost 90% if used within the first five days of initial symptoms.

Paxlovid and long COVID

It’s estimated that up to 30% of people with COVID-19 will go on to develop Long COVID. Researchers are still trying to figure out why some people continue to experience symptoms weeks or months after being infected, but a growing number of scientists believe part of the virus actually stays hidden in the body for an extended period of time.

“A recent study shows persistent shedding of virus from the gastrointestinal tract for up to seven months in some people,” says Michael J. Peluso, M.D., infectious disease specialist at the University of California San Fransisco (UCSF). “This doesn’t mean the virus is infectious, but there might be pieces of the virus, or viral activity, that could be stimulating the immune system.”

Currently, fewer than 20 trials are looking into Long COVID treatments, but a recent study that is still being reviewed suggests Paxlovid might be able to help. The small study followed three different people with Long COVID, including one of the study’s authors, who took Paxlovid for relief.

Two of the patients found symptom relief, including overall improved health and more energy,  even though they started treatment multiple weeks after the initial onset of COVID-19 symptoms. 

Future studies are still needed

This may sound like good news for long-COVID sufferers, but the evidence is far from conclusive. While two of the participants in the study felt better after taking Paxlovid, the third found only short-term relief.

Four days after stopping treatment, the participant started experiencing congestion, fever, and chest pain. Two weeks later, they reported fatigue, brain fog, and post-exertional malaise (PEM), all common Long COVID symptoms. “The key aspect of this case is that longer courses of Paxlovid may be needed, and giving it too early might not be optimal,” says Peluso. He adds, however, that there is no data on the safety of using Paxlovid for an extended period of time.

“We shouldn’t be doing our research based on anecdotal reports,” says Diana Berrent, the founder of a Long COVID advocacy group called Survivor Corps. Additional research and rigorous clinical trials are still needed.

*Leigh, S. (2022, May 9). COVID Drug May Also Ease Symptoms of Long COVID. UCSF. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2022/05/422771/covid-drug-may-also-ease-symptoms-long-covid