CDC Issues Health Advisory Regarding COVID Rebounds After Paxlovid Treatment
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory on Tuesday for health care providers, public health departments and the public regarding a “COVID-19 rebound,” in some patients who were treated with the antiviral treatment Paxlovid.
Paxlovid treatment is given to patients to prevent hospitalization and death from the coronavirus, but COVID-19 rebounds are now being reported to occur between two and eight days after the initial recovery, characterized by a recurrence of symptoms and a new positive viral test after testing negative.
The CDC advised that patients who experience COVID-19 symptoms after treating with Paxlovid should isolate for five days.
The CDC recommends health care providers report cases of COVID-19 rebound to Pfizer after Paxlovid treatment using a safety reporting tool, and also to report to the Food and Drug Administration via a MedWatch form.
The CDC does not, however, recommend additional treatment with Paxlovid or any other anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies in cases where COVID-19 rebound is suspected.
The FDA granted emergency use authorization for Paxlovid in December 2021, based on results from Pfizer’s clinical trial from October 2021.
The clinical trial data submitted by Pfizer to the FDA did show COVID-19 rebound occurred in about 2% of those who had received Paxlovid, but only 1.5% of those who received the placebo had a similar rebound.
Alexa can be reached at [email protected]
