I have to say, this medication looks pretty promising. The study was in 2,200 or so people (a reasonable sample size) and the authors reported an 88% reduction in hospitalizations and death between those taking Paxlovid and those taking a placebo.
There are drug interactions with some very common medications due to how Paxlovid is metabolized in the liver (antivirals are notoriously tough on the liver, where many other drugs are metabolized as well).
The reported adverse effects are all quite manageable, and only 2% of people taking Paxlovid dropped out of the study due to serious adverse effects vs 4% of people taking the placebo dropping out of the study from adverse effects.
So if you take their research at face value, this really seems like an excellent medication with a lot of clinical applications. It will definitely get pushed hard- which is understandable given the results reported and EUA granted.
Clearly, the pricetag is high, it is produced by Pfizer (who we know will fudge research results), all initial research should be looked at with skepticism due to conflicts of interest and the likelihood of bias, there are cheaper and probably safer alternatives (Zelenko protocol), we don't have any real long-term safety data, and the study size is fairly small with regards to rare side effects.
If I wasn't so cynical about the state of modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, I would say that taking this medication is a no-brainer if you develop symptoms of COVID and don't take any of the contraindicated medications.
I have to say, this medication looks pretty promising. The study was in 2,200 or so people (a reasonable sample size) and the authors reported an 88% reduction in hospitalizations and death between those taking Paxlovid and those taking a placebo.
There are drug interactions with some very common medications due to how Paxlovid is metabolized in the liver (antivirals are notoriously tough on the liver, where many other drugs are metabolized as well). The reported adverse effects are all quite manageable, and only 2% of people taking Paxlovid dropped out of the study due to serious adverse effects vs 4% of people taking the placebo dropping out of the study from adverse effects.
So if you take their research at face value, this really seems like an excellent medication with a lot of clinical applications. It will definitely get pushed hard- which is understandable given the results reported and EUA granted.
Clearly, the pricetag is high, it is produced by Pfizer (who we know will fudge research results), all initial research should be looked at with skepticism due to conflicts of interest and the likelihood of bias, there are cheaper and probably safer alternatives (Zelenko protocol), we don't have any real long-term safety data, and the study size is fairly small with regards to rare side effects.
If I wasn't so cynical about the state of modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, I would say that taking this medication is a no-brainer if you develop symptoms of COVID and don't take any of the contraindicated medications.