23 Jun Paxlovid Reduced Hospitalizations for Patients with Early COVID-19

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Dryden-Peterson

SCOTT DRYDEN-PETERSON, MD
Assistant Professor, Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Research Affiliate, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Harvard T.H. Chan School Of Public Health
Associate Physician, Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Brigham And Women’s Hospital
Research Associate, Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute

MedicalResearch.com:  What is the background for this study? 

Response: The combination of the antiviral medicine nirmatrelvir and ritonavir (Paxlovid) which boosts antiviral levels was found to reduce the need for hospitalization by nearly 90% among unvaccinated people. Whether nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir can also help vaccinated people was uncertain.

MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings?

Response: When comparing similar patients with early COVID-19 we found that those receiving nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir were approximately 45% less likely to be hospitalized than those that received no treatment. This protection was observed among all groups of patients, including vaccinated and boosted patients.

The overall rate of hospitalization was relatively low among vaccinated patients but it was even lower among those that received nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Early treatment with nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir can make COVID-19 safer for both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients at elevated risk.  

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: We found substantial disparity in prescribing of nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir. Further work needed to ensure access to lower-income patients and Black or Hispanic/Latinx patients to this treatment. 

No conflicts of interest

Citation:

Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir for early COVID-19 and hospitalization in a large US health system

Scott Dryden-Peterson, Andy Kim, Arthur Y. Kim, Ellen
C. Caniglia, Inga Lennes, Rajesh Patel, Lindsay Gainer, Lisa Dutton, Elizabeth Donahue, Rajesh T. Gandhi, Lindsey R. Baden, Ann E. Woolley

medRxiv 2022.06.14.22276393; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.14.22276393

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Last Updated on June 23, 2022 by Marie Benz MD FAAD