Health

Paxlovid Improved Long Covid Symptoms in Some Patients, Researchers Report

Published

1 year ago

January 6, 2025

Paxlovid Improved Long Covid Symptoms in Some Patients, Researchers Report

Can Paxlovid treat long Covid? A new report suggests it might help some patients, but which patients might benefit remains unclear.

The report, published Monday in the journal Communications Medicine, describes the cases of 13 long Covid patients who took extended courses of the antiviral drug. Results were decidedly mixed: Nine patients reported some improvement, but only five said it lasted. Four reported no improvement at all.

Perhaps more than anything, the report underscores that nearly five years after the pandemic began, there is still little known about what can help the millions of people with long Covid. While some people improve on their own or with various therapies and medications, no treatment has yet been shown to be widely successful.

“People with long Covid are eager for treatments that can help,” said Alison Cohen, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who is an author of the new report and has long Covid herself. “There’s been a lot of research, but it continues to be slow going.”

Paxlovid, made by Pfizer, is considered a tantalizing prospect because it can prevent severe illness during active Covid infections and because patients who take the five-day course during the infection have been less likely to develop long Covid later.

In addition, a theory that some long Covid cases may be caused by remnants of virus in the body suggests that an antiviral like Paxlovid might vanquish those symptoms by extinguishing lingering virus.

Last year, the first randomized trial of Paxlovid for long Covid showed no benefit. Conducted at Stanford, it involved 155 patients who took the drug or a placebo for 15 days. While taking Paxlovid for that long was found to be safe, it didn’t help patients much: Ten weeks later, the placebo and Paxlovid groups showed no significant difference in severity of long Covid symptoms.

Dr. Upinder Singh, an infectious disease specialist and a leader of that trial, said its results and the new report primarily generated “more questions to answer”: Could Paxlovid help if taken for longer than 15 days or paired with other medications? Does its effect vary by types of symptoms or by when symptoms started?

“It’s very possible that within long Covid, there’s different disease types,” said Dr. Singh, now head of internal medicine at the University of Iowa. Maybe Paxlovid or other antivirals would help patients who could be clearly determined to have lingering virus in their bodies, she said.

Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, said scientists shouldn’t “throw in the towel” on the possibility of antivirals for long Covid.

“If you look in the aggregate, you don’t see a difference between the placebo group, but these case reports demonstrate there are people who truly benefit, so we need to home in on those people,” said Dr. Iwasaki, who is leading another randomized trial of Paxlovid, the results of which have yet to be published.

She said important next steps would be identifying biological markers in people whose long Covid symptoms improved with Paxlovid and seeing whether other antivirals help different patients.

The new report was not a clinical trial, but a collection of self-reports from 13 long Covid patients around the country who had tried extended courses of Paxlovid. It is the first published case series of such patients, according to the authors, who include Dr. Michael Peluso, an infectious disease physician at U.C.S.F., and members of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, a group of researchers who also have long Covid.

The experiences of the patients were too varied to yield a consistent trajectory, but the variety may provide clues for larger studies, the authors said.

The patients, ranging in age from 25 to 55, were infected between March 2020 and December 2022. They experienced one or more of a range of symptoms, including fatigue; gastrointestinal problems; cognitive problems like brain fog; muscle pain; irregular heart rate; and a condition called post-exertional malaise, in which physical or mental exertion causes setbacks.

As with the Stanford trial, most patients in the new report had been vaccinated by the time they took Paxlovid. Their Paxlovid courses ranged from 7.5 days to 30 days. Most tried it to find relief from their persistent long-Covid symptoms; two patients with long Covid received extended courses of Paxlovid when they were reinfected with the virus.

Most patients were also taking other medications or supplements, making it difficult to determine the drug’s specific effect, Dr. Cohen said. Still, some said Paxlovid helped them significantly.

Kate Leslie, 46, a social worker in Boulder, Colo., said she was healthy and athletic before her coronavirus infection in March 2022. Six weeks later, she said, she felt as if she’d had a concussion, struggling to think clearly and find words.

She developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, with symptoms including erratic heart rate and blood pressure and occasional fainting. A longtime Ultimate Frisbee player and coach, she began experiencing profound fatigue and could barely lift her arms.

“It was like concrete blocks are on your body,” she said. “I couldn’t get out of bed. My husband had to wash my hair and dry it and dress me.”

After an antiviral she was prescribed for a flu infection, Tamiflu, ended up easing some of her long Covid symptoms, Ms. Leslie wondered whether Covid-related antivirals might help even more, she said. In February 2023, she found a doctor to prescribe a 15-day course of Paxlovid.

Afterward, “I could feel my body getting restabilized,” she said, adding, “I started to get my energy back.”

About six months later, she obtained another 15-day course, which helped again, she said. She estimates she can now function at about 85 percent of her pre-Covid level.

Ms. Leslie said, however, that a couple of her medical issues worsened after Paxlovid, including an immune system condition that has caused allergies. Three other patients also reported bothersome issues after taking Paxlovid, including tingling and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Among those who didn’t perceive any benefit from the drug was Julia Moore Vogel. Dr. Vogel, 39, a senior program director at Scripps Research, was a long-distance runner before being infected with the coronavirus in July 2020. Now she uses a wheelchair and is largely housebound, she said.

She and her daughter recently moved across the country, from California, to live with her parents in Schaghticoke, N.Y. “I got to the point where we were like, I either need to stop working or we need more help at home,” she said.

Dr. Vogel, whose symptoms include fatigue, post-exertional malaise and migraines, took a 10-day course of Paxlovid in April 2023. “It just had no impact for me at all,” she said.

These days, she manages by carefully budgeting her energy, trying to leave the house no more than once a week. Migraine medications provided some relief, she said, but other than that, “I’ve tried many things, and basically nothing has really helped me improve.”

Dr. Cohen said the report strengthens the theory that long Covid has many different causes and treatments.

“A really important question is who may benefit from taking an extended course of Paxlovid and why,” she said, “and if it benefits some symptoms, which symptoms does it benefit?”

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Health

Best Healthy Foods for Weight Loss After 50, Including Cheese and Bread!

Published

4 hours ago

April 14, 2026

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Best Healthy Foods for Weight Loss After 50, Including Cheese and Bread!

Best Healthy Foods for Weight Loss and Fat Burn After 50

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Health

Popular weight-loss medications linked to hidden side effects, study finds

Published

5 hours ago

April 14, 2026

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Popular weight-loss medications linked to hidden side effects, study finds

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In a sweeping analysis of more than 400,000 Reddit posts, researchers have revealed some little-known GLP-1 side effects.

GLP-1 receptor agonists — such as semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) — have been most commonly associated with gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation.

A new study published in Nature Health, however, uncovered some overlooked effects.

SHOULD YOU MICRODOSE OZEMPIC? EXPERTS ARE SPLIT ON RISKS VS BENEFITS

University of Pennsylvania researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze more than five years of Reddit posts from more than 67,000 people taking the popular drugs for diabetes or weight loss.

While clinical trials are still the “gold standard,” the researchers noted that Reddit community feedback reflects a different population.

“People often use medications differently than they’re prescribed, so it’s also important to look at real-world usage, which can diverge from usage in a clinical trial,” lead researcher Neil Sehgal, a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania, told Fox News Digital. “So there are many possible reasons we’re seeing signals that the trials may have missed.”

Overlooked effects

Nearly half of the users reported one or more side effects. The most common were nausea, vomiting and constipation, which aligned with what clinical trials found, according to Sehgal.

“We’re almost certainly capturing a skewed slice of the full picture.”

“We did notice a few side effects that have not previously been reported for these drugs,” he told Fox News Digital.

“For example, about 4% of users who described side effects reported menstrual irregularities. Other Redditors described unusual temperature-related symptoms, like chills or hot flashes.”

OBESITY EXPERT REVEALS THE BEST WAY TO DECIDE IF GLP-1S ARE RIGHT FOR YOU

Nearly 13% of users also experienced psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and insomnia. More than 5% also complained of abdominal pain, acid reflux, headache and dizziness.

“Fatigue was also the second most commonly reported symptom overall, but has met relatively few reporting thresholds in existing trials,” Seghal noted. “This gap between what patients are self-reporting online and what gets captured in trials is really what motivated this whole line of work.”

Clinical context

Dr. Sue Decotiis, a New York City-based board-certified weight-loss physician, noted that many of the reported symptoms, such as disorientation and fatigue, are most likely due to dehydration and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

“People often use medications differently than they’re prescribed, so it’s also important to look at real-world usage, which can diverge from usage in a clinical trial,” the lead researcher said. (iStock)

“Patients should be carefully monitored using a structured protocol that ensures proper nutrition and adequate hydration, ideally under the direct supervision of a physician experienced in metabolism and weight loss,” Decotiis, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

“Additionally, body composition analysis can help identify issues such as muscle loss, excessive water loss or insufficient fat loss.”

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A significant concern, according to the doctor, is that many individuals are accessing these medications through online platforms or without receiving appropriate medical care.

“In my experience treating thousands of patients with various GLP-1 medications, complications are rare and typically occur only when patients are noncompliant,” she added.

Study limitations

As the data came from Reddit users, who tend to be younger, primarily male and mostly based in the U.S., it may not represent everyone taking these medications, the researchers noted.

“In my experience treating thousands of patients with various GLP-1 medications, complications are rare and typically occur only when patients are noncompliant,” a weight-loss doctor shared. (iStock)

“And even within Reddit, the people who post about their side effects are probably not typical of everyone on the medication,” Sehgal said. “If you had a good experience, you’re less likely to be writing about it online. So we’re almost certainly capturing a skewed slice of the full picture.”

The researchers also noted that the study can’t prove the drug caused the reported symptoms.

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“To be clear, we can’t say for certain whether these drugs are causing menstrual irregularities,” Sehgal said. “Patients on Reddit aren’t going to self-report every symptom they have, and they may also report things that aren’t actually linked to the medications. So it’s important to treat this as hypothesis-generating signals and do more research.”

The researchers noted that the study can’t prove the drug caused the reported symptoms. (iStock)

The study also didn’t include GLP-1 dosage, duration of the medication and symptoms, or other health conditions the users experienced. There is also the chance that the AI tools misunderstood meanings or context, the researchers noted.

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The results must be confirmed with more rigorous research, Sehgal said. “That’s how we’ll get real answers about prevalence and causality, which social media data alone can’t provide.”

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“These are signals, not conclusions – but I do think it’s always worth talking to your doctor about anything unexpected you’re experiencing while on a new medication, even if you’re not sure if it’s related,” he advised. “So if something feels off, say something.”

Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.

Health

Cancer risk linked to common blood-related condition, research reveals

Published

17 hours ago

April 13, 2026

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Cancer risk linked to common blood-related condition, research reveals

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Anemia, a common blood disorder, may be a major risk factor for developing cancer.

That’s according to new research from Sweden, which sought to discover whether newly developed anemia is an early warning sign of cancer or death from any cause.

The study, published in BMJ Journals, looked at registry data from more than 380,000 Swedish adults – half were people with new-onset anemia and the other half were the same age and gender, but did not have anemia.

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All participants were over 18 years old and cancer-free at the start of the study.

The results showed that people with incident anemia – new cases occurring over a specific period – had a significantly higher chance of being diagnosed with cancer, especially in the first three months, according to a press release. This included 6.2% of men and 2.8% of women.

Anemia, a common blood disorder, may be a major risk factor for developing cancer. (iStock)

Individuals with anemia also had a much higher chance of death during the 18-month follow-up.

Specific types of anemia were individually linked to disease progression and mortality, the researchers discovered.

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Microcytic anemia – where the red blood cells are smaller than normal – was more frequently linked to cancer, especially types of disease that impact the digestive system and the blood.

Macrocytic anemia, a type of anemia where the red blood cells are larger than normal, was more strongly linked to overall mortality than cancer.

The researchers concluded in the study that new-onset anemia is a “strong and sustained risk marker” for both incident cancer and all-cause mortality. (iStock)

The researchers concluded in the study that new-onset anemia is a “strong and sustained risk marker” for both incident cancer and all-cause mortality.

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Lead study author Elinor Nemlander, researcher at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society at the Karolinska Institutet, commented on the findings in a press release from the Swedish medical university.

“We found that both the risk of cancer and the risk of death are highest during the first months after anemia is detected, but that the increased risk persists later during follow-up as well,” she said. “Our findings suggest that anemia may be a sign of underlying disease rather than a condition in its own right.”

Specific types of anemia were individually linked to disease progression and mortality, the researchers discovered. (iStock)

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Nemlander noted that measures like red blood cell size are already “routinely available” in primary care, and that the study highlights how this existing data can be used to identify early risk.

“At the same time, the elevated risks persist over time, underscoring the need for structured follow-up and clear plans for continued evaluation, even when cancer is not initially identified,” she said.

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As the study was observational, it shows an association, but does not prove that anemia causes cancer or death.

The research also did not measure for all causes of anemia, including alcohol use, malnutrition, chronic liver disease, inflammatory conditions and gynecological blood loss.

“Some of the results may also be influenced by who gets tested, underlying illnesses and differences in how anemia is evaluated in different healthcare settings,” Nemlander added.

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.