The Paxlovid illusion

The antiviral drug was rolled out worldwide based on little evidence it worked in real-world populations — yet it went on to generate about US$28 billion in sales for Pfizer.

Paxlovid, manufactured by Pfizer, was authorised in late 2021 for people aged 12 and older, catapulting the antiviral into one of the most profitable Covid drugs of the pandemic.

Governments bought the drug in bulk, health agencies promoted it aggressively, and by the time the dust settled, Pfizer had generated about US$28 billion in sales.

Now, years later, two major randomised trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine are challenging the illusion that Paxlovid’s effectiveness had ever been firmly established in real world use.