New study gives hope to long-term Covid patients as Pfizer’s antiviral drug Paxlovid is tested in patients left with lingering symptoms months later
- 100 people with long Covid symptoms over 3 months take Paxlovid
- Researchers want to see if it helps with brain fog, fatigue and weakness
- 1 in 13 US adults are suffering from long-term Covid, with trial results expected next year
Paxlovid – an antiviral drug manufactured by Pfizer – is now being considered a potential long-term Covid treatment.
The pharmaceutical giant’s flagship Covid drug received emergency approval to treat high-risk patients in the United States last December, cutting the risk of death by 90%.
It is currently the only drug that can be taken at home to treat Covid and is being administered to millions of vulnerable Americans with underlying medical conditions.
Researchers at Stanford University are now about to begin the first clinical trials of this drug.
Previous studies have shown that people given the drug are four times less likely to suffer from long-term Covid.
At this time, there is no long-term effective treatment for Covid, and no one knows what causes the ongoing symptoms.
A popular theory is that there may be leftovers of the virus that wreak havoc on the body. It has been suggested that the brain suffers physical changes after months.
Officially, more than 15 million Americans are estimated to have been infected with Covid to varying degrees for a long time.
Study participants will take the antiviral drug for 10 days longer than usual to see if it takes longer to take effect.
A new study hopes to sign up 200 adults who have been Covid-negative for three months but are still suffering from symptoms.
Half of the participants will receive Paxlovid and half will receive placebo.
To treat infections, paxlovid is given six tablets a day for five days, but participants in a new study wanted to test the theory that the drug takes longer to have its full effect. to take the medicine for 15 days.
The results of the exam are expected next year.
The first participant in the trial was Bill Finbreth, a 67-year-old California native who has been suffering from long-term Covid symptoms for a year and a half, including loss of smell and taste, debilitating fatigue and brain fog. There was
He said: “It’s like you have someone else’s brain.”
Fimbres will receive his first dose of either the drug or placebo on Monday.
He said NBC News: ‘If I could get rid of just one of my symptoms, that would be great.
Evidence already exists indicating that paxlovid may reduce long-term symptoms.
a study The Department of Veterans Affairs said this month that people who were given the drug shortly after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus were 26% less likely to have persistent symptoms after three months than those who did not take antiviral medications. suggested.
However, all participants were over the age of 60 and had additional health problems, so the findings may not apply to everyone.
Long Covid has puzzled scientists and doctors since it first appeared on our radar in 2020.
Its cause is unknown, but experts believe it may have something to do with the body’s immune response to the virus.
There have also been previously known cases of people suffering from long-lasting symptoms after being infected with more common viruses such as influenza.
The CDC estimates that about 7.5% of American adults are suffering from long-lasting Covid symptoms.
Victims are generally under the age of 50 and are more likely to be female. Prolonged reports of Covid are most common in southern states such as Kentucky and Alabama.
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