More U.S. healthcare providers are reconsidering the use of the antiviral Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) for lower-risk COVID-19 infected persons after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory cautioning that the potential for recurrence of COVID-19 (also called “COVID-19 rebound”) associated with Pfizer’s antiviral investigational therapy Paxlovid. Recommended for early-onset treatment of mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 among persons deemed higher risk for severe disease progression, the observation of COVID-19 rebound has been reported to occur between 2 and 8 days post initial recovery and associated with a resurgence of COVID-19 symptoms or a positive new viral test even after the individual had previously tested negative. While the CDC declared a brief return could, in fact, be part of some “natural history of SARS-CoV-2 infection in some persons” regardless of use of Paxlovid, the market is now responding, reports Reuters.

Deena Beasley writing for Reuters reports that while sales of Paxlovid have skyrocketed with the resurgence of COVID-19 infections this may change considering the recent CDC alert. Beasley writes that “over 162,000 courses were dispensed last week,” and that compares with on average 33,000 we week since the launch date. Pfizer has the Biden administration to thank again. While POTUS helped drive vaccination (and Pfizer -BioNTech BNT162b2 is the only formally approved vaccine), his administration has been aggressively pushing for the use of Paxlovid. In fact, the government has made sizeable purchases.

Yet Reuters reports with more use comes more rebound COVID-19 cases even after completion of the five-day regimen. TrialSite has reported a sales forecast for 2022 of up to $22 billion for Paxlovid. Could this CDC HAN Health Advisory impact those numbers?

Pfizer (PFE) currently trades at 53.91 with a 52-week high/low of 34.48 and 61.71.

While information is limited based on existing case reports and no methodical study has been undertaken, an infectious disease doctor at Ochsner Health based in New Orleans, Louisiana, shared with Reuters that more quarantine time “is not a crowd-pleaser.” Sandra Kemmerly, MD, went on the record, “For those people who really aren’t at risk…I would recommend they not take it [Paxlovid].”

For more on the HAN Health Advisory, follow the link.

https://www.trialsitenews.com/a/u.s.-doctors-reconsidering-use-of-pfizers-paxlovid-for-low-risk-covid-19-cases-due-to-cdc-health-advisory-65d2aa2e