Paxlovid Shows No Benefit for Long COVID Symptoms in NIH-Funded Trial Published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases

A new NIH-funded randomized trial, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, has found that nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) did not alleviate established long COVID symptoms. The study, designed to address limitations of previous smaller trials, showed no significant benefit across cognitive dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, or exercise intolerance, even with extended treatment courses. This finding clarifies that the antiviral drug has no role in treating existing long COVID.