Study: Antiviral drugs reduce Covid death risk

The use of antiviral medications significantly lowers the risk of hospitalization and death caused by Covid-19 among older patients, according to a Greek study.

Recently published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases,  the study showed that individuals who take these medications have up to three and a half times less risk of dying from the condition and three times less risk of needing hospitalization. The reduction in risk appears to be most pronounced among older patients (75 and over) and among those with high levels of compliance with treatment.

The study used patients who had received either treatment between February 2 and March 5, 2022 (molnupiravir) and between March 26 and July 20, 2022 (niramtrelvir/ritonavir) and compared them with a similar number of patients with Covid-19 in the same age group who had not received these antiviral drugs.