“I think this provides some clarity,” said Charnes, who was not involved in the study.
In a study designed to test Paxrovid in “standard risk” adults, Pfizer enrolled more than 1,100 people over the age of 18. To participate in the study, they had to be within 5 days of being positive on the Covid-19 test and have no symptoms. Fully vaccinated people can participate in the study if they have at least one potential risk factor for disease progression, such as obesity or suppression of immune function.
Half of this group was assigned to take Paxlovid twice daily for 5 days. The other half got a placebo.
The second question-whether Paxlovid can reduce the need for medical care-has found significant benefits. Dosing reduced Covid-19 medical visits as measured in hospitalization, emergency department or emergency medical visits, or telemedicine visits compared to the placebo group.
Dr. Cassandra Pierre, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Medical and Medical Director of the Public Health Program, said: center.
Pierre, who was also not involved in the study, said it would not change her behavior. She generally does not prescribe Paxlovid unless her patient appears to be at high risk for Covid-19 complications.
But for those who are wondering if taking it will make them feel faster and return to their daily lives faster, she will help answer the question.
“We recommend that you do not take it at this time, as it has no effect at this time,” she said.
Pierre said many important questions about Pax Rovid have not yet been answered. For example, can it reduce the risk of long covids? Can an infected person reduce the chances of giving it to another person? She keeps watching them.
Meanwhile, Pierre will treat vaccinated and boosted patients who have captured Covid-19 with over-the-counter painkillers and herbal teas to rest and treat them in the same way as respiratory viruses. He said he would instruct.
Regarding other results, this study found suggestions of benefits for people taking Paxrovid, but these could have been by chance only, as they did not pass the statistical significance test. There is sex. This can occur if the results being tested (in this case hospitalization and death) are relatively rare for all participants.
Among these:
- Five out of 576 people taking Paxrovid were hospitalized or died during the study, compared to 10 out of 569 people taking placebo. There were no deaths in patients taking Paxlovid, but one in the placebo group.
- Of the fully vaccinated participants, 3 out of 361 taking Paxrovid were hospitalized or died, compared to 7 out of 360 in placebo.
- Compared to those taking placebo, those taking Paxrovid spent 72% less time in the hospital.
- Patients taking Paxrovid were not admitted to the intensive care unit compared to the three in the placebo group.
Dr. Ruanne Barnabus, Head of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the study was not done in sufficient numbers to understand the differences between the two groups, given the low incidence of all complications. It states that it may have been.
“Therefore, it is good to have Paxlovid available for potential mutants that may cause higher complication rates in the future,” said Barnabus, who was not involved in the study. “But I think this is also the first in the pipeline of antiviral drugs to understand how to better treat these infections.”
Still, the results are disappointing after great benefits have been reported to high-risk people. A study of more than 2,200 patients at high risk for Covid-19 showed that Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% compared to placebo.
Pfizer said he would stop enrolling study participants in the standard risk group and instead focus on those at high risk of serious consequences, which is a significant number of people.
“It is estimated that up to 40-50% of people around the world are at high risk, and we believe that there remains an important unmet need for treatment options to combat this disease, Paxlovid. We will continue to prioritize our efforts to advance development. “Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in a news release.
Source: www.cnn.com
