Risk of Long COVID in hospitalized individuals treated with remdesivir for acute COVID-19

Abstract Long COVID comprises a multisystem syndrome occurring after COVID-19. This retrospective cohort study investigated whether remdesivir given during acute COVID-19 is associated with reduced incidence of Long COVID, including in immunocompromised subgroups. The HealthVerity database of hospit...

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Main Authors: Mark Berry, Amanda M. Kong, Roger Paredes, Julie Paone, Rohan Shah, Rebecca Taylor, Essy Mozaffari, Rikisha Gupta, Robert L. Gottlieb, Lourdes Mateu, Mazin Abdelghany, Jason D. Goldman, Anand P. Chokkalingam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06052-3
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Summary:Abstract Long COVID comprises a multisystem syndrome occurring after COVID-19. This retrospective cohort study investigated whether remdesivir given during acute COVID-19 is associated with reduced incidence of Long COVID, including in immunocompromised subgroups. The HealthVerity database of hospital chargemaster data linked to closed claims was queried for patients aged ≥ 12 years hospitalized for ≥ 2 days with COVID-19 between May 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021. Relative risk between remdesivir-exposed and unexposed patients was calculated for 16 individual Long COVID outcomes and a composite of any Long COVID outcome, occurring 90–270 days after hospital admission. Subgroup analyses occurred in immunocompromised patients. Regression models accounted for censoring, competing risks, and treatment assignment weights; statistical inferences were adjusted for multiple comparisons. Among 3,661,303 hospitalized patients, 52,006 with COVID-19 were included; 20,246 (38.9%) were immunocompromised. In the overall and immunocompromised populations, respectively, 33.0% and 29.5% received remdesivir; the composite of ≥ 1 Long COVID outcome occurred in 55.5% and 62.9%. Patients administered remdesivir experienced lower risk of any Long COVID outcome (risk ratio, 0.96; 95% CI 0.94–0.97; adjusted P < 0.001). Risk for several individual Long COVID outcomes was lower in those receiving remdesivir in the overall and immunocompromised populations. In conclusion, exposure to remdesivir was associated with a lower risk of Long COVID.
ISSN:2045-2322