There is “no evidence” that a second course of Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid will help COVID-19 patients whose symptoms return after an initial course of the antiviral, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said a day after Pfizer executives advocated the idea.
Doctors and virologists have been struggling to understand a number of patient reports of viral rebounds after completion of a five-day course of the COVID-19 treatment. In an interview Tuesday, Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said doctors could prescribe a second course of treatment to patients who suffer a relapse.
In cases where virus levels rebound, “then you give a second course, like you do with antibiotics, and that’s it,” Bourla said Tuesday. Some physicians have suggested a longer course of Paxlovid might prevent symptoms from returning.
