Effect of Oral Nirmatrelvir on Long COVID Symptoms: 4 Cases and Rationale for Systematic Studies

oleh: Michael Peluso, Khamal Anglin, Matthew S. Durstenfeld, Jeffrey N. Martin, J. Daniel Kelly, Priscilla Y. Hsue, Timothy J. Henrich, Steven G. Deeks

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Case Western Reserve University 2022-06-01

Deskripsi

Background: Efforts to understand the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants, vaccine status, and treatment on the development and persistence of Long COVID have intensified.  Methods: We report 4 sequential cases from a post-COVID cohort study demonstrating variability in outcomes following differentially timed nirmatrelvir therapy, received as part of clinical care.  Results: In the first case, the participant experienced symptomatic rebound and developed Long COVID despite early initiation of antiviral therapy. In the next 2 cases, participants reported improvement in persistent COVID symptoms when nirmatrelvir was taken 25 and 60 days following initial symptom onset. In the final case, an individual with presumed Long COVID for 2 years reported substantial improvement in chronic symptoms when taking nirmatrelvir following SARS-CoV-2 re-infection.  Conclusions: These anecdotes suggest that systematic study of antiviral therapy for Long COVID is warranted.