SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) -- Long COVID remains a major health challenge for millions of people, with symptoms like brain fog lingering for months after the initial infection. However, a new study from UCSF offers some hope.
Researchers found that Paxlovid, a drug typically used to treat acute COVID-19, may actually help some people suffering from long COVID. This contradicts earlier research, which suggested that Paxlovid had little to no effect on long COVID symptoms.
The UCSF study tracked 13 individuals with long COVID who underwent extended courses of Paxlovid. The researchers documented their symptoms before, during and after taking the medication, with a particular focus on how their conditions changed over time.
"We found that some patients reported a meaningful sustained improvement in at least some of their symptoms after taking an extended course of Paxlovid," Dr. Alison Cohen, epidemiologist and researcher at UCSF Health, told KCBS Radio's Patti Reising on this week's episode of "As Prescribed."
"Some people documented temporary improvements, so they had improvements initially that then went away, but there were some people in our case series who did have improvements that lasted, and that for lasted for months," she added.
That could be a game-changer for people whose symptoms have been seriously affecting their everyday lives. Over 200 different symptoms have been documented in long COVID patients, and the condition affects around 5% of American adults.
"Some of the more common symptoms include chronic fatigue and post-exertional malaise, which is when you're tired all the time," Dr. Cohen explained. "It can also include cognitive symptoms like brain fog, which is kind of equivalent of how hard it is to wade through shoulder-high mud, but in terms of thinking. Or there's also a lot of symptoms of dysautonomia, which is basically when the autonomic nervous system, what you take for granted in terms of keeping your circulatory system, your blood, your nervous system working, doesn't work well."
Dr. Cohen mentioned that her team is continuing to follow up with patients, and some have sustained better health long after finishing their Paxlovid treatment. This raises hope for those living with long COVID, but the results are not yet definitive enough to recommend extended Paxlovid treatment as a routine intervention.
"What I would say is that patients with long COVID can certainly talk to their health provider about if this is something that's worth trying," Dr. Cohen said. "It's important to note that a lot of medications interact with Paxlovid, and there are side effects of Paxlovid. So it's not necessarily that it wouldn't hurt, but it may be worth discussing to see if it may be something to consider."
Clinical trials, which are currently underway, will be the key to determining whether Paxlovid or other treatments can be reliably recommended for long COVID patients.
"If the evidence shows that it is an effective treatment, that could potentially lead to FDA, Food and Drug Administration approval down the line," said Dr. Cohen. "So I remain cautiously optimistic, but it is certainly an exercise in patience to be this many years into the pandemic without more options available to patients."
Listen to this week's "As Prescribed" to learn more. You can also listen to last week's episode to learn about the cancer risks of drinking alcohol, here.
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“As Prescribed” is sponsored by UCSF.