NIH to check Pfizer Paxlovid, other treatments as long Covid therapies

The National Institutes of Health said Monday it launched mid-stage clinical trials to test at the least 4 treatments, including Pfizer‘s antiviral Covid-19 pill Paxlovid, as potential therapies for long Covid. 

There isn’t any proven treatment for the condition, which refers to symptoms that proceed or develop within the weeks or months following an initial Covid infection. It affects an estimated 23 million Americans.

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Health-care providers typically attempt to treat the often debilitating symptoms related to long Covid, similar to chronic pain, memory loss and intense fatigue. But the dearth of a particular long Covid treatment pushes some patients to hunt unproven – and potentially dangerous – remedies for the condition. 

“We all know that when patients are suffering, we are able to never move fast enough,” said acting NIH Director Dr. Lawrence Tabak. “NIH is committed to a highly coordinated and scientifically rigorous approach to seek out treatments that can provide relief for the hundreds of thousands of individuals living with long COVID.”

The NIH will test the protection and effectiveness of the treatments – which include each drugs and medical devices – in groups of 100 to 300 patients with long Covid symptoms. 

The primary a part of the phase two trial will test an extended dosing regimen of Paxlovid to see if it improves long Covid symptoms. 

Patients typically take Paxlovid inside five days of developing Covid symptoms to cut back their risk of hospitalization or death, in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug in May. To finish a full course of Paxlovid, patients must take three pills twice a day for five days. 

The NIH said one other a part of the study will even test for brain fog and memory-related symptoms.

The agency will test medical treatments like a web-based brain training program called BrainHQ and a tool that uses a small electric current to stimulate brain activity. 

The NIH expects to launch additional clinical trials to check at the least seven more treatments “in the approaching months.”