Study reveals significant benefits of antiviral COVID-19 drugs

Editor's Note

This new study from the Cleveland Clinic found that use of COVID-19 antiviral drugs Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir) and Lagevrio (molnupiravir) reduces risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk patients with mild disease, even against Omicron subvariants. The findings were published in JAMA Network on September 21.

The study included approximately 70,000 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at the Cleveland Clinic between April 2022 and February 2023. Researchers found that nirmatrelvir lowered risk of death in patients by 84%, and molnupiravir by 77%, when compared to no treatment. Both drugs reduced the combined risk of hospitalization and death by over 40%. 

The treatments were also found to be effective even against newer COVID-19 strains, like BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5, and they worked across all patient subgroups. In order to be effective, however, the authors highlight that the medications need to be taken within 5 days of the onset of symptoms.

The findings support the continued use of these antiviral medications, which stop the COVID-19 virus from replicating, to prevent more serious outcomes.