Table 1.
Comparisons of clinical and virological characteristics, and outcomes among COVID-19 patients receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and molnupiravir.
| Total (n = 85) | Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (n = 58) | Molnupiravir (n = 27) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, years | 58.5 (38.0–78.0) | 49.0 (34.0–72.0) | 73.3 (55.0–84.0) | 0.002 |
| Gender, male | 47 (55.3) | 32 (55.2) | 15 (55.6) | >0.99 |
| Vaccine status | 0.24 | |||
| No vaccinations | 37 (43.5) | 25 (43.1) | 12 (44.4) | |
| 1 dose | 14 (16.5) | 7 (12.1) | 7 (25.9) | |
| 2 doses | 8 (9.4) | 5 (8.6) | 3 (11.1) | |
| 3 doses | 26 (30.6) | 21 (36.2) | 5 (18.2) | |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus | 19 (22.4) | 7 (12.1) | 12 (44.4) | 0.002 |
| Cardiovascular disorder | 18 (21.2) | 6 (10.3) | 12 (44.4) | 0.001 |
| Chronic lung disease | 3 (3.5) | 2 (3.5) | 1 (3.7) | >0.99 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 13 (15.3) | 1 (1.7) | 12 (44.4) | <0.001 |
| Chronic liver diseases | 6 (7.1) | 3 (5.2) | 3 (11.1) | 0.38 |
| Neurodevelopmental disorder | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | >0.99 |
| Psychiatric disorder | 1 (1.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (3.7) | 0.32 |
| Dementia | 6 (7.1) | 1 (1.7) | 5 (18.5) | 0.01 |
| Active tuberculosis | 1 (1.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (3.7) | 0.32 |
| Obesity, BMI≥25 | 37 (43.5) | 23 (39.7) | 14 (51.9) | 0.35 |
| Cigarette smoker | 10 (11.8) | 8 (13.8) | 2 (7.4) | 0.49 |
| Immunosuppression | 17 (20.0) | 12 (20.7) | 5 (18.5) | >0.99 |
| Active cancer | 25 (29.4) | 17 (29.3) | 8 (29.6) | >0.99 |
| Numbers of risk factors | 2 (1-3) | 1.5 (1-3) | 4 (1-5) | <0.001 |
| Pulmonary ordinal scale at baseline | 3 (3-3) | 3 (3-3) | 3 (3-3) | >0.99 |
| Initial laboratory data | ||||
| White blood cell count ( × 109/L) | 6.8 (5.2–9.1) | 6.8 (4.9–9.0) | 6.7 (5.4–9.6) | 0.62 |
| Lymphocyte count ( × 109/L) | 1.1 (0.7–1.5) | 1.1 (0.7–1.6) | 1.1 (0.7–1.3) | 0.82 |
| Lymphopenia (<0.8 × 109/L) | 24 (31.2) | 16 (32.0) | 8 (29.6) | >0.99 |
| Neutrophil count ( × 109/L) | 4.8 (3.3–7.4) | 4.9 (3.2–6.9) | 4.7 (3.4–8.1) | 0.58 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 12.5 (10.4–13.7) | 12.8 (11.5–14.3) | 12.1 (10.1–13.3) | 0.09 |
| Platelet count ( × 109/L) | 218 (152–276) | 239 (165.5–280) | 200 (136–266) | 0.15 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/dL) | 1.6 (0.7–4.2) | 1.1 (0.5–3.4) | 2.1 (1.1–5.5) | 0.06 |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 299.9 (161.8–529.1) | 256.5 (121.4–421.9) | 391.1 (211.8–988.0) | 0.02 |
| Procalcitonin (ng/mL) | 0.10 (0.06–0.21) | 0.08 (0.05–0.15) | 0.15 (0.09–0.58) | 0.02 |
| D-dimer (mg/L) | 0.7 (0.3–1.8) | 0.4 (0.2–1.1) | 1.8 (0.7–5.2) | <0.001 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 4.1 (3.6–4.6) | 4.3 (3.9–4.7) | 3.7 (3.6–4.0) | 0.02 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL) | 0.6 (0.4–0.8) | 0.6 (0.4–0.8) | 0.6 (0.4–0.7) | 0.87 |
| AST (U/L) | 25.5 (18.5–35.5) | 22.5 (17.0–35.0) | 28.0 (21.0–37.0) | 0.33 |
| ALT (U/L) | 19.0 (12.0–29.0) | 20.0 (14.0–37.0) | 14.0 (12.0–23.0) | 0.11 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase (U/L) | 203.0 (170.0–247.5) | 203.0 (168.5–245.5) | 206.0 (176.5–247.5) | 0.46 |
| Creatine kinase (U/L) | 89 (36–164) | 86.5 (38.5–162.5) | 96 (35–187) | 0.61 |
| BUN (mg/dL) | 15.9 (11.1–23.8) | 13.6 (10.8–18.1) | 28.8 (16.6–41.4) | <0.001 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 0.9 (0.7–1.2) | 0.9 (0.7–1.0) | 1.6 (0.7–3.1) | 0.02 |
| Virological parameter | ||||
| Ct value of index RT-PCR test | 16.6 (14.0–23.6) | 17.0 (14.1–23.9) | 15.6 (13.6–23.6) | 0.36 |
| Ctlowest value within 5 days of index RT-PCR testa | 16.2 (14.0–19.1) | 16.4 (14.0–19.7) | 15.6 (13.6–18.3) | 0.32 |
| Numbers of RT-PCR test | 3 (3-4) | 3 (3-4) | 3 (3-4) | >0.99 |
| Intervals between index and last RT-PCR test, days | 9 (8-12) | 8 (7-12) | 9 (8-12) | 0.44 |
| Time-to-initiation antiviral, days | ||||
| From index date | 1 (0–1) | 1 (0–2) | 1 (0–1) | 0.24 |
| From symptom onset | 2 (1-3) | 2 (1-3) | 1 (1-2) | 0.03 |
| Outcomes | ||||
| Viral rebound | 11 (12.9) | 10 (17.2) | 1 (3.7) | 0.16 |
| Time to viral rebound after index RT-PCR test, days | 10.0 (8.0–12.0) | 9.5 (8.0–11.0) | 16.0 | 0.15 |
| Time to viral rebound after completion of antivirals, days | 5.0 (2.0–8.0) | 4.5 (2.0–6.0) | 11.0 | 0.11 |
| Clinical improvementb | 73 (85.6) | 51 (87.9) | 22 (81.5) | 0.51 |
| Follow-up duration, days | 11 (9-16) | 10 (9-15) | 12 (10-22) | 0.04 |
Continuous variables, median (interquartile); categoric variables, n (%).
Abbreviation: BMI, body mass index; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.
a
Ctlowest, the lowest Ct value within 5 days of index PCR among patients with and without viral rebound.
b
Clinical improvement was defined as substantial decline of an ordinal score ≥2 at end of follow-up.