Can Antiretroviral Treatment With Protease Inhibitor In HIV Patients Lower COVID-19 Risk?

A preliminary study suggests that people living with HIV who are on antiretroviral treatment (ART) with protease inhibitors (PI) may have a lower risk of COVID-19 infection. 

• The findings will be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).
• Doctors in France studied over 500 HIV patients, a third of whom received long-term treatment with protease inhibitor drugs as part of their antiviral therapy. 
• Pfizer Inc's PFE Paxlovid is a protease inhibitor antiviral therapy.
• Related: Pfizer's COVID-19 Oral Therapy To Be Tested In Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients In UK: Reuters.
• Among participants being treated with PIs, over three-quarters were taking darunavir/ritonavir (131/169; 77%), around 8% were taking atazanavir/ritonavir (14/169), and the rest were treated with other PIs (24/169;14%). 
• Over a year, SARS-CoV-2 infections were diagnosed in 12% of participants taking protease inhibitors and 22% of those not receiving these drugs. 
• After accounting for other risk factors, individuals taking protease inhibitors were 70% less likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 than those not taking these drugs.
• Price Action: PFE shares are down 0.80% at $52.86 during the market session on the last check Tuesday.