Extended antiviral therapy may not improve long COVID - Takeaways - MDSpire
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Extended antiviral therapy may not improve long COVID

  • By

  • Andrea Surnit

  • September 4, 2026

  • 4 min

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  • 1

    Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir treatment for up to 25 days did not improve symptoms of cognitive dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, or exercise intolerance in long COVID patients.

  • 2

    The RECOVER-VITAL trial involved 964 patients with persistent symptoms for at least 12 weeks post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a median age of 49 years.

  • 3

    No statistically significant improvement was observed in primary outcomes for any of the three symptom phenotypes among patients receiving active treatment.

  • 4

    Subgroup analyses showed no differential treatment effects based on vaccination status, race, ethnicity, sex, or prior treatment during initial infection.

  • 5

    The trial did not establish the effect of longer antiviral treatment durations or the impact of viral persistence on long COVID symptomatology.

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