In light of President Biden testing positive for COVID-19 for the second time this year, many are wondering whether Paxlovid — the predominant medication used to treat COVID — is actually worth taking. Experts spoke with The New York Times about how the president's case is an example of the "Paxlovid rebound," where a person may experience COVID symptoms and test positive following a round of the antiviral medication (more on that below).
In a tweet responding to the president's positive test, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a prominent cardiologist and professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University Hospital, says he thinks this was predictable. He writes, "The prior data suggesting 'rebound' Paxlovid positivity in the low single digits is outdated and with BA.5 is likely 20-40% or even higher."
In December of last year, the FDA authorized Paxlovid (the brand name for the drugs nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) for emergency use treatment of "mild-to-moderate COVID-19" cases in anyone above the age of 12. In order to be prescribed Paxlovid, the FDA says someone should have "positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2" and also be at "high-risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death."
According to NPR, studies conducted by the drugmaker showed that Paxlovid was nearly "90% effective at cutting the risks of getting hospitalized or dying because of COVID," for those who are unvaccinated. It remains unclear how effective Paxlovid treatment is for those who are vaccinated. Clinical trials of the antiviral medication were done before Omicron and its subvariants, but three studies conducted by Pfizer say the drugs works against the variants.
Despite the promising early research, experts continue to warn that the antiviral treatment can cause a "rebound" of symptoms, and significant side effects (including "Paxlovid mouth"). To clear up any confusion and to make sure you have all the information you need about Paxlovid, we spoke with Amesh Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
