Paxlovid is still a highly effective treatment for most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the drug prevents many hospitalizations and deaths from COVID.
But for millions of immunocompromised people whose infections may persist for months, the antiviral drug can lose its effectiveness as the virus mutates. Although patients may initially experience a decrease in, as these mutations arise, the virus can return unimpeded by the drug, bringing the risk of disease and even death.
A study that reveals how the virus mutates to escape Paxlovid could now help chemists design better drugs that are more difficult for SARS-CoV-2 to sidestep. The study, led by researchers at Columbia University and several universities in China, was published Sept. 11 in"This type of approach helped to improve HIV drugs, and we think it's a good way to improve antivirals against SARS-CoV-2," says Sho Iketani, Ph.D.
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