- Two recent studies found limitations of the drug Paxlovid for protection from Long COVID, contrasting prior studies that suggested the antiviral drug might help prevent this disease. The first study analyzed electronic health records from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) RECOVER program, including over 150,000 participants who got COVID-19 after April 1, 2022. The authors concluded that their study “found that Paxlovid treatment during acute COVID-19 had no effect on subsequent [Long COVID].” A second retrospective cohort study from the CDC of over 800,000 participants found that the drug only slightly helped participants who were over 50 years old. It did not meaningfully protect adolescents or younger adults from Long COVID.
- Long COVID may increase menstrual bleeding, according to a new survey study published in Nature Communications. Researchers in the U.K. surveyed over 12,000 participants (including about 1,000 with Long COVID) and found a link between Long COVID and abnormal uterine bleeding, which may be a result of hormone changes and increased inflammation in the uterus. The authors stated that COVID-19 and Long COVID may predispose people who menstruate to iron deficiency and anemia. “Reassuringly, ovarian function appears to be maintained in this group of regularly cycling women with Long COVID,” the authors wrote.
- A new clinical trial is testing the supplement Mitoquinone in combination with “exercise rehabilitation” (which may be detrimental) for Long COVID. The study aims to recruit 300 people over 50 years old at the Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The supplement, also known as “Mito-Q,” targets mitochondrial function and will be given to some participants who undergo exercise, while others will be given a placebo and exercise. The study does not mention post-exertional malaise (PEM) on its clinical trials page; studies have shown that muscle abnormalities worsen after PEM in Long COVID. Many advocates and leading researchers have criticized Long COVID trials focusing on exercise as an intervention.
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[…] observational studies — not clinical trials — have looked at this for the antiviral Paxlovid. Recent studies have shown little […]