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A real-world study published in JAMA Open Network found that Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid is now less effective at preventing hospitalization or death in high-risk patients as compared to earlier studies. But when looking at death alone, the antiviral was still highly effective.

Paxlovid was about 37% effective at preventing death or hospitalization in high-risk patients compared to no treatment. The study also looked at the antiviral Lagevrio, made by Merck, and found it was about 41% effective. In preventing death alone, Paxlovid was about 84% effective compared to no treatment and Lagevrio was about 77% effective, the study said.

The University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health and the Cleveland Clinic examined electronic health records of 68,867 patients at hospitals in Cleveland and Florida who were diagnosed with COVID from April 1, 2022, to Feb. 20, 2023.

For Paxlovid, the effectiveness against death and hospitalization was lower than the effectiveness rate of about 86% found in clinical trials in 2021, according to Bloomberg. Head over to WebMD to read the full story.