Why Take PAXLOVID
COVID‑19 can get worse even days after your first symptoms. For adults at high risk for progression to severe COVID‑19 (including hospitalization or death), PAXLOVID may help keep mild-to-moderate COVID‑19 from becoming severe.
What is mild-to-moderate COVID‑19?
- Mild-to-moderate COVID‑19 has symptoms (such as fever, cough, sore throat, and more) that generally can be treated at home
- These symptoms usually occur within the first few days of illness
- Many people recover without needing special treatment, but in some people, COVID‑19 becomes severe, often days into their symptoms. This is more likely if you have a high-risk factor
What can happen with severe COVID‑19?
If COVID‑19 becomes severe, it can result in:
Hospitalization and intensive care
Needing a ventilator to receive enough oxygen
Death
Don’t just “wait and see” if your COVID‑19 will get worse
If you have a high-risk factor and mild-to-moderate COVID‑19, talk to your healthcare professional about PAXLOVID
How does PAXLOVID work?
- When you’re infected with the COVID‑19 virus, it starts to multiply inside your nose and throat
- PAXLOVID works to stop the virus from multiplying and reduces the amount of it in your body
When taken within the first 5 days of symptoms, PAXLOVID can help keep COVID‑19 from becoming severe.
PAXLOVID Clinical Trial Results
A total of 2113 people from around the world participated in the PAXLOVID clinical trial.
All people who participated:
- Tested positive for COVID‑19
- Were unvaccinated*
- Had mild-to-moderate symptoms for 5 days or fewer
- Had certain high-risk factors for progression to severe COVID‑19†
- Were at least 18 years old
The study looked at whether PAXLOVID helped prevent hospitalization or death when compared to placebo.
PAXLOVID reduced the risk of COVID‑19-related hospitalization or death by 86%
In a clinical trial vs placebo, 9 out of 977 people who started treatment with PAXLOVID within 5 days of their first COVID‑19 symptoms were hospitalized and none died.
For those who took a placebo, 64 out of 989 were hospitalized and 12 died (from any cause).
Studied with real-world people in mind
The study group included:
- People from different races and ethnicities
- A near equal number of male and female participants
- People as young as 18 and as old as 88
Everyone studied had at least one risk factor for progression to severe COVID‑19. The most common risk factors among study participants included†:
- A body mass index (BMI) of more than 25
- Current cigarette smoking
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Additionally, 61% of people in the study had two or more high-risk factors.
*The approved use of PAXLOVID isn’t limited to unvaccinated people, but all people who participated in the clinical trial were unvaccinated.
†Participants all had at least one of these high-risk factors: diabetes, overweight (BMI >25), chronic lung disease (including asthma), chronic kidney disease, current smoker, a disease or treatment that causes a weakened immune system, heart disease, high blood pressure, sickle cell disease, neurodevelopmental disorders, active cancer, medically related technological dependence, or were 60 years of age and older. Based on the latest guidance, some of this high-risk inclusion criteria may differ from the CDC’s list of high-risk factors (eg, the CDC defines high risk as 50+).
It’s important to understand the possible risks and side effects before taking PAXLOVID.
