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Paxlovid reduces COVID-19 risk in elderly regardless of vaccine status

Pfizer’s Paxlovid antiviral drug. (Photo: Reuters)

This is the result of a new study in Israel conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak caused by the Omicron variant.

According to research from Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, the COVID-19 treatment with antiviral drugs Paxlovid is not very effective at preventing serious illness in young people.

The use of Paxlovid drug of Pfizer, which is licensed to treat people with early-stage COVID-19 who are at risk to prevent the disease from progressing, has skyrocketed in the United States along with an increase in the number of people infected. Biden administration officials have promoted the widespread use of Paxlovid, which is purchased and provided free of charge by the US government.

Pfizer’s clinical trial examined the use of Paxlovid in unvaccinated people with risk factors for serious illness and found that treatment with the drug reduced the risk of hospitalization and death up to 90%. This is the result recorded in the epidemic wave caused by the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Paxlovid drug reduces the risk of COVID-19 in the elderly regardless of vaccine status - Photo 1.

Paxlovid is in the form of tablets. (Photo: AAP)

The Israeli study was based on data from nearly 110,000 participants between January 9 and March 10, when Omicron was the dominant variant in the country.

Elderly people with no immunity, meaning they had not received a COVID-19 vaccine or had never had COVID before, had an 86% reduction in hospital admissions after taking Paxlovid. People who were previously immune also benefit, but at a lower rate of 60%.

In total, 0.6% of those 65 and older were treated with Paxlovid, or 14 of 2,504 were hospitalized. Those not taking Paxlovid were hospitalized 3 times more often, or 762 out of 40,315.

However, the data show that the reduction in hospitalization in patients aged 40 – 64 years, regardless of their prior immunity, is not significant.

The use of Paxlovid showed very high benefit in patients 65 years of age and older with the potential to reduce the risk ratio death due to COVID-19 up to 81%. However, this effect was not observed in young people, who are less at risk of dying from COVID-19.

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