The United States found a case of a relapsed coronavirus patient after taking paxlovid
Pfizer’s Paxlovid, popular and effective treatment for COVID-19 patients Until being widely used today, however, new questions arise about the efficacy of such drugs. After a small number of cases were found to have relapsed after taking Paxlovid.
Doctors have begun to report that some patients have relapsed five days after taking Paxlovid, raising questions about whether these patients are still considered infected. And should I continue to receive the second Paxloviddose?
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would not recommend giving Paxlovidose 2 to patients with relapses. Because there is a small risk that these patients will develop serious symptoms. or have to be admitted to the hospital
Dr. Michael Charness reported in April. of a 71-year-old vaccinated patient who has recovered from COVID-19 but the symptoms relapse with the number of viruses increasing rapidly within 9 days
Dr. Charness confirmed that Paxlovid is still a highly effective drug. But he doubted whether the drug might have little potential in combating the Omicron mutant coronavirus. This is because the drug has primarily been tested for efficacy against the Delta-mutant coronavirus.
The U.S. FDA says about 1%-2% of the subjects studied the effectiveness of Paxlovid by Pfizer. They showed that their viral levels rose after 10 days, at a rate similar to those in the placebo-treated subjects, so it’s unclear whether this was related to Paxlovid treatment or not. no
While some experts point to another possibility. That said, the dose of Paxlovid might not be strong enough to stop the virus, says Andy Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University. expressed concern that It may be able to trigger a drug-resistant mutant virus.
“We have to make sure where the appropriate dose of Paxlovid is. We don’t want to lose this drug. Because it is one of the important tools to help turn the pandemic situation around,” Pekosz said.
Pfizer tests Paxlovid among the highest-risk patients. is an unvaccinated adult who has never been infected before and people with other health problems such as heart disease and diabetes Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization and death from 7% to 1%.
However, the test does not reflect the fact that most Americans are currently vaccinated. Currently, 89% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. And 60% of Americans have been infected with COVID-19.
There is no definitive answer for vaccinated Americans who already have a hospitalization rate of less than 1%, but Pfizer is reportedly working on a larger study. The results of the study are expected to come out at the end of this fall.
Pfizer is also reporting on the results of a study on giving Paxlovid to family members of people infected with COVID-19. This is a proactive defense stating that it does not significantly reduce the chances of infection. But Pfizer is studying other potential benefits. of early use This includes that Paxlovid will help reduce the duration and severity of COVID-19. in the household or not as well