Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Paxlovid showed no benefit in COVID patients ages 40-65, a new study says

Doses of the anti-viral drug Paxlovid are displayed in New York, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.
AP
Doses of the anti-viral drug Paxlovid are displayed in New York, on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. Pfizer's COVID-19 pill may provide little benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for higher-risk seniors, according to an Israeli study published Wednesday, Aug 24, 2022.

The research is likely to renew questions about the Biden administration's use of the pill, which has become a go-to treatment for COVID-19 due to its at-home convenience.

Pfizer’s pill for treating COVID-19 patients appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, according to a large study by Israeli researchers.

The Israeli study of more than 100,000 patients showed Paxlovid significantly reduced hospitalization and death among people older than 65, similar to past research.

But adults ages 40 to 65 didn't show any measurable benefit in the study, which was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The results raise questions about the U.S. government’s use of Paxlovid, which has become the go-to treatment for COVID-19.

The Biden administration has spent more than $10 billion purchasing the drug and making it available at thousands of pharmacies through its test-and-treat initiative.

Click here to read more of this article from the Associated Press.