Patients with heart disease who have symptomatic COVID-19 are often treated with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) to avoid progression to severe disease; however, it may interfere with several previously prescribed drugs. A review paper recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology investigates the possible drug-drug interactions (DDIs) between Paxlovid and routinely used cardiovascular medications, as well as potential methods to reduce severe side effects.
“Awareness of the presence of drug-drug interactions of Paxlovid with common cardiovascular drugs is key. System-level interventions by integrating drug-drug interactions into electronic medical records could help avoid related adverse events,” said Sarju Ganatra, MD, director of the cardio-oncology program at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, and the senior author of the review.
