Alireza Amin
1 
, Shiva Maleki
1 , Mohammad Reza Moonesan
2* 1 Nickan Research Institute, Isfahan, Iran
2 Clinical Research Development Unit, Kowsar Educational, Research and Therapeutic Hospital, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted researchers to look for efficient treatments to lower high-risk patients’ probabilities of hospitalization, rapid disease progression, and death. Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) is a promising treatment option that has been evaluated in several recent retrospective cohort studies. In this article, we review four such studies conducted in China and the USA between 2022 and 2023. The studies, which included large groups of COVID-19 patients, found that Paxlovid treatment was linked to a significant drop in the risk of hospitalization, severe disease progression, and death in high-risk patients. This was true even for patients who had been immune to the disease before from an infection or vaccination. However, more research is needed to validate these results and evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of this medication. In addition to highlighting the need for larger studies to evaluate both the effectiveness and safety of this treatment in patients with a variety of populations, our review sheds light on the present understanding of Paxlovid and its application for high-risk COVID-19 patients.
Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education:
A review of recent retrospective cohort studies found that nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) has a big impact on lowering the chances of hospitalization, severe disease progression, and death in high-risk COVID-19 patients, even those who had immunity before. To confirm these results and evaluate Paxlovid’s long-term effectiveness and safety in a variety of patient population demographics, more studies must be conducted.
Please cite this paper as: Amin A, Maleki S, Moonesan MR. Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir efficacy and safety in high-risk COVID-19 patients: a review of recent retrospective cohort studies – nephrology point of view. J Renal Inj Prev. 2024; x(x): e32257. doi: 10.34172/jrip.2024.32257.