[thenerdhead]

I believe Science would benefit from a different approach to reporting, as Derek’s analysis over the past four years has been consistently lacking.

A responsible science reporter should present the full body of evidence rather than drawing conclusions from a single study.

Currently, a 900-person study is exploring Paxlovid’s potential for three clusters of Long COVID patients using a novel ultra-sensitive single-molecule assay. While many question its effectiveness in short treatment durations, there is reason to believe it could have extended benefits, similar to treatments for hepatitis C or feline coronavirus infections.

Having read and shared thousands of studies on SARS-CoV-2 and Long COVID, I find it irresponsible to dismiss a drug based on a single study, especially when broader research suggests that access to antivirals may reduce the risk of developing Long COVID, even among vaccinated individuals.

New antivirals are awaiting FDA approval, and an updated version of Paxlovid is in development. Derek’s analysis is not only misleading but also incorrect, and it would be best if he reconsidered the reach of his words.

[sunshinesnacks]

In the Pipeline is an “editorially independent blog,” [1] so I’m not sure that it’s fair to criticize Science or Derek Lowe for the “reporting.”

I’m a big fan of Derek’s blog. And I think his comments about long COVID at the end of the post are enough to convince me to ask for Paxlovid if/when I get COVID again (I’ve taken Paxlovid before).

[1] https://www.science.org/blogs/pipeline

[thenerdhead]

I am criticizing two things.

1. Science magazine's association with his recurring "editorially independent blog". I've been a subscriber for many years and have never enjoyed it personally.

2. His opinion on this topic in general. The drug lived up to the hype even beating some international antivirals on efficacy terms.

Today's science is a bit further ahead still. For example, Pfizer will publish acute 10d data soon? which already has preliminary data showing faster symptom resolution and less rebound.

NIH/Yale/Karolinska will publish their 25d/15d/15d Long COVID Paxlovid studies to see what phenotypes may benefit from extended durations.

And next gen Paxlovid is already on an accelerated approval path and showed great results at IDWeek. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06679140#study-plan

It is odd to me because he even wrote a piece about the next gen Paxlovid? Why didn't he reference it! It's in phase 3... https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/next-paxlovid

[fn-mote]

Your comment does not cite any scientific evidence that contradicts the assertions in the article. The study you mention is ongoing and small. For comparison, one of the articles cited involves 280k patients with 35k treated.

If you're going to call an analysis incorrect, you should should say what's wrong with it.

With a comment this strong, I think you should disclose a little more of your own background / stance on the subject. Have you written a self-published book on Long Covid? (It looks like yes, but tl;dr.) My sympathies if you have suffered it.

[thenerdhead]

here's my page with countless findings on the topic (you be the judge and feel free to search for other studies too): https://x.com/search?lang=en&q=(paxlovid%20OR%20Nirmatrelvir...

my general thoughts on this article and science "journalism" lately: https://x.com/atranscendedman/status/1856467031157289327

background: 4 years of long covid, work on nih efforts to cure it, and i don’t want anyone to suffer like millions of us do. so i share reliable info with the world.

note: paxlovid is a first-generation drug. in 2025, derek should follow more science rather than zeroing in on one study or griping about the taste when it can prevent your life from flipping upside down with long covid. he has literally written on the next version of it as well.

many elderly patients who are only vaccinated still develop long covid and are often dismissed due to their age. nobody deserves that when an antiviral is available until next-gen vaccine 2b trials finish soon and more treatment options hit the usa market later this year.