- A medium sized study in Saudi Arabia found that 29% of participants who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 developed Long COVID. “This finding is consistent with the higher prevalence estimates reported globally and highlights the long-term burden of post-acute COVID-19 symptoms,” the authors of the study, published in BMC Infectious Diseases, wrote. The prospective cohort study included 816 participants who were followed up to for four years, after infections between March 2020 and March 2024. The researchers found that female sex, diabetes, reinfection, and hospitalization predicted Long COVID in their cohort.
- In a small case series, a combination of three antivirals was effective in improving symptoms in participants with Long COVID, according to a new preprint shared in Research Square. Researchers found that 120 days of the antiviral drugs valacyclovir (Valtrex) and celecoxib (Celebrex), in addition to 15 days of the Paxlovid, was more effective than Valtrex and Celebrex alone, with benefits lasting up to 720 days. The case series included 27 people with Long COVID — and did not have a placebo group. The small study “provides pilot evidence to support the need for a larger trial of combination antivirals for people living with [Long COVID],” the authors wrote.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted the drug application of a potential oral therapy for the prevention of COVID-19 following exposure, or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The antiviral drug ensitrelvir (Xocova) is made by the Japanese drug company Shionogi, and it was effective in preventing COVID-19 in a phase 3 trial called Scorpio-PEP. The FDA has set an “action date” of June 16, 2026, meaning it will likely approve or deny the drug application by that date.
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[…] in Frontiers of Immunology. The series, which did not have a placebo group, was originally shared as a preprint last year, and included 27 people with Long COVID. The authors concluded that the protocol may help […]