Antivirals limit viral progression and reduce rate of viral replication in patients
Early use defined as within 5 days of COVID-19 diagnosis or within 30 days of symptom onset
Exact cause of long COVID not yet known
Long COVID symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, body aches, gastrointestinal or cardiovascular issues
Meta-analysis of nine observational studies reveals early use of antivirals reduces long COVID risk by 23%
A meta-analysis of nine observational studies published in the Journal of Infection found that early use of oral antiviral drugs, such as Paxlovid and molnupiravir, reduced the risk of long COVID by 23%. However, a recent study conducted by Stanford University researchers failed to show that a 15-day course of Paxlovid helped more than a placebo in reducing symptoms of long COVID. The findings suggest that further study is needed to determine the effectiveness of antivirals as a treatment for long COVID.
Long COVID, also known as post-COVID condition, is characterized by symptoms that can last for weeks or even months after initial infection. Symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, body aches, and gastrointestinal or cardiovascular issues. The exact cause of long COVID is not yet known.
Early use of antiviral drugs has been shown to reduce the risk of developing long COVID. In the meta-analysis, early use was defined as within 5 days of COVID-19 diagnosis for most studies and within 30 days of symptom onset in one study. The findings suggest that a broader use of antivirals may be considered to prevent long COVID.
The protective mechanisms behind the antivirals' ability to lower the risk of long COVID are not fully understood, but it is believed that they limit viral progression and reduce the rate of viral replication in patients. Current World Health Organization guidelines recommend Paxlovid for patients at a moderate to high risk of hospitalization or molnupiravir or remdesivir if Paxlovid is not available.
The importance of timely antiviral intervention in mitigating the long-term repercussions of COVID-19 cannot be overstated. The findings from the meta-analysis underscore this point and highlight the need for further research into the use of antivirals as a treatment for long COVID.
The protective mechanisms behind antivirals' ability to lower long COVID risk are not fully understood.
The recent Stanford University study failed to show that Paxlovid helped more than a placebo in reducing symptoms of long COVID. Further research needed to determine effectiveness.
Paxlovid did not relieve symptoms of long COVID after a 15-day course.
Currently, there are no proven treatments specifically for long COVID.
Scientists and patients had hoped that Pfizer's two-drug oral treatment would ease symptoms of long COVID based on anecdotal reports.
The study failed to show that a 15-day course helped more than a placebo in reducing fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, body aches, or gastrointestinal or cardiovascular symptoms.
Accuracy
Study by Stanford University researchers found that Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid did not relieve symptoms of long COVID after a 15-day course.
No statistically significant difference was found in the severity of six core long Covid symptoms at both 10 and 15 weeks post-treatment between the Paxlovid group and the placebo group.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. It also presents a dichotomous depiction of the success of Paxlovid for long COVID treatment.
. . . patients who said Paxlovid helped them.
But the 15-week, 155-participant study failed to show that a 15-day course helped more than a placebo in reducing fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, body aches, or gastrointestinal or cardiovascular symptoms.
Paxlovid is the most commonly prescribed at home treatment for COVID-19 in the U.S.
New study finds that Paxlovid does not significantly improve Long COVID symptoms compared to a placebo.
Long COVID currently has no approved treatment or cure, leaving millions of people affected with no solution.
Both groups in the study took their drugs twice a day for 15 days, and researchers tracked them for 15 weeks to assess safety and symptom changes.
Accuracy
Paxlovid was previously seen as a promising treatment for Long COVID due to its ability to stop the virus from multiplying and reduce viral material in the body.
Deception
(30%)
The author makes editorializing statements and uses emotional manipulation by expressing disappointment that the study did not find a benefit for Paxlovid in treating Long COVID. The title itself is sensational as it implies that Paxlovid might not be a cure for Long COVID at all, when the study only found no meaningful improvement.
That's important to know, because some experts believe taking the drug for longer could help prevent outcomes like Paxlovid 'rebound.' A longer course may also be more effective for some high-risk patients, Singh says.
But the new study, which was published June 7 in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that taking Paxlovid for 15 days was safe but did not improve key Long COVID symptoms better than a placebo.
But we didn’t find an obvious benefit to taking Paxlovid for symptom relief.
Despite the relative improvement, moderate and severe symptoms were still common at the end of the study.
Fallacies
(85%)
The author makes an appeal to hope and expectation in the context of Paxlovid being a potential treatment for Long COVID. This is an informal fallacy as it relies on emotions rather than facts or logical reasoning. The author also uses dichotomous depiction by presenting Paxlovid as the only promising solution for Long COVID, ignoring other potential treatments and research that may be ongoing.
But the new study, which was published June 7 in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that taking Paxlovid for 15 days was safe but did not improve key Long COVID symptoms better than a placebo. I would have loved to bring forward a paper that said, ‘Great benefit,’
Given that theory, a drug like Paxlovid, which stops the virus from multiplying and reduces the amount of it in the body, seemed to many like a promising treatment.
But we didn’t find an obvious benefit to taking Paxlovid for symptom relief.
A new study by Stanford University researchers found that Paxlovid, a leading antiviral pill used to prevent severe disease from COVID-19, failed to treat symptoms of long COVID.
,
Accuracy
Researchers found no statistically significant difference between the two groups or measurable reduction in the severity of six core long COVID symptoms: fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, body aches, and cardiovascular or gastrointestinal symptoms.
Despite the outcome of the trial, anecdotal evidence suggests that Paxlovid may provide relief for some long-COVID symptoms.
Deception
(50%)
The article reports on a study that found Paxlovid, an antiviral drug used to prevent severe disease from COVID-19, failed to treat long COVID symptoms. The author quotes several experts expressing their disappointment with the results and their hope for future studies. However, the author also includes anecdotal evidence of Paxlovid providing relief for some long-COVID patients. This constitutes selective reporting as the article only reports details that support the notion that Paxlovid is ineffective for long COVID while omitting any information about its potential effectiveness based on anecdotal evidence. Additionally, there is no disclosure of sources in the article.
Despite the outcome of the trial, there remains some anecdotal evidence of Paxlovid providing relief for long-COVID symptoms
But what I think it really demonstrates is that we have to look further to some of the other potential causes of long COVID.
No statistically significant difference was found in the severity of six core long Covid symptoms at both 10 and 15 weeks post-treatment between the two groups
The study failed to show that a 15-day course helped more than a placebo in reducing fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, body aches, or gastrointestinal or cardiovascular symptoms.
A meta-analysis of nine observational studies published in the Journal of Infection found that early use of oral antiviral drugs reduced the risk of long COVID by 23%.
Early use of antivirals was defined as within 5 days of COVID-19 diagnosis for most studies and within 30 days of symptom onset in one study.
Long COVID was defined differently, with some studies measuring it as symptoms persisting for 30 days after diagnosis and others defining it as symptoms persisting for 90 days after diagnosis.
The findings suggest that a broader use of antivirals may be considered to prevent long COVID.
