ArticleThe Lancet regional health. Western Pacific2023
Effectiveness of community-based oral antiviral treatments against severe COVID-19 outcomes in people 70 years and over in Victoria, Australia, 2022: an observational study.
Article in The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir for Outpatients in the Era of Omicron, Vaccination, and Previous Infection: A Meta-analysis.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and molnupiravir in non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2024Pooled it
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Antivirals for COVID-19 in the Post-vaccine, Omicron Era: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Eligible but missing out: a qualitative study of access to COVID-19 antivirals in Australia.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Mesenchymal stromal cells counteract with age-related immune decline and enhance vaccine efficacy by modulating endogenous splenic marginal reticular cells in elderly models.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2026Article
- Patterns of use of oral antivirals for COVID-19 in people 70 years and over in Victoria, Australia: a linked data study.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Efficacy in Immunocompetent Patients with Confirmed Omicron Variant of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of research in pharmacy practice · 2026Review
- Real-World Effectiveness of Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir Against Severe Outcomes of COVID-19 in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Molnupiravir Versus Best Supportive Care for the Treatment of Outpatient COVID-19 in High-Risk Older Adults in Japan.PharmacoEconomics - open · 2025Article
- Cost-effectiveness of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in COVID-19 patient groups at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19 in the Netherlands.Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E · 2025Article
- Assessment of pharmacokinetics and tolerability following single-dose administration of molnupiravir in participants with hepatic or renal impairment.Clinical and translational science · 2024Article
- Comprehensive genotoxicity and carcinogenicity assessment of molnupiravir.Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology · 2024Article
- Nationwide Target Trial Emulation Evaluating the Clinical Effectiveness of Oral Antivirals for COVID-19 in Korea.Journal of Korean medical science · 2024Article
- Physician characteristics associated with antiviral prescriptions for older adults with COVID-19 in Japan: an observational study.BMJ open · 2024Observational
- The Pivotal Role of Molnupiravir in Protecting High-Risk Populations in the Endemic Era of COVID-19: Insight from Real-World Evidence.Infection & chemotherapy · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Oral Antiviral (OAV) COVID-19 treatments are widely used, but evidence for their effectiveness against the Omicron variant in higher risk, vaccinated individuals is limited. Methods: Retrospective study of two vaccinated cohorts of COVID-19 cases aged ≥70 years diagnosed during a BA.4/5 Omicron wave in Victoria, Australia. Cases received either nirmatrelvir-ritonavir or molnupiravir as their only treatment. Data linkage and logistic regression modelling was used to evaluate the association between treatment and death and hospitalisation and compared with no treatment. Findings: Of 38,933 individuals in the mortality study population, 13.5% (n = 5250) received nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, 51.3% (n = 19,962) received molnupiravir and 35.2% (n = 13,721) were untreated. Treatment was associated with a 57% (OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.36-0.51) reduction in the odds of death, 73% (OR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.17-0.40) for nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and 55% (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.38-0.54) for molnupiravir. Treatment was associated with a 31% (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.55-0.86) reduction in the odds of hospitalisation, 40% (OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.43-0.83) for nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and 29% (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.58-0.87) for molnupiravir. Cases treated within 1 day of diagnosis had a 61% reduction in the odds of death (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.33-0.46) compared with 33% reduction for a delay of 4 or more days (OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.44-0.97). Interpretation: Treatment with both nirmatrelvir-ritonavir or molnupiravir was associated with a reduction in death and hospitalisation in vaccinated ≥70 years individuals during the Omicron era. Timely, equitable treatment with OAVs is an important tool in the fight against COVID-19. Funding: There was no funding for this study.
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