The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued an emergency health alert regarding the anti-viral drug Paxlovid, produced by the Pfizer pharmaceutical company, warning that recurrence of COVID can occur following the cessation of treatment.
According to the CDC, "Recent case reports document that some patients with normal immune response who have completed a 5-day course of Paxlovid for laboratory-confirmed infection and have recovered can experience recurrent illness 2 to 8 days later, including patients who have been vaccinated and/or boosted.
"These cases of COVID-19 rebound had negative test results after Paxlovid treatment and had subsequent positive viral antigen and/or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing."
Paxlovid was granted emergency use authorization in December by the FDA, and Israel immediately approved the drug for use. Pfizer predicts earnings of up to $32 billion in 2022 alone from sales of Paxlovid.
According to Reuters, "Dozens of individuals have reported rebounding COVID symptoms on social media or to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after taking Paxlovid, but Pfizer suggests the experience is rare."