AZITHROMYCIN

What is azithromycin (Zithromax)?

Azithromycin is an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections such as pneumonia, sinusitis, and sexually transmitted diseases. It works by preventing bacteria from making proteins. Without proteins, bacteria cannot survive and die. Azithromycin is commonly prescribed in the outpatient setting under the name “Z-pack.”

Can azithromycin help with long-COVID?

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, azithromycin had gained some headway as a potential treatment option for COVID-19 due to its antiviral properties and modifying effects on the immune system. Lab research on azithromycin found that it may prevent COVID-19 from entering the cells while decreasing the likelihood of an overresponse of the immune system [1]. Unfortunately, when tested in clinical studies, azithromycin did not produce positive results in active COVID-19 infections. For instance, one study found that azithromycin did not reduce the time to sustained clinical improvement or discharge in hospitalized patients, rendering it insignificant [2].

Although azithromycin may not be helpful in active COVID-19 infections, a minimal amount of data points to its use as a potential agent in long-COVID. In a case study, an older woman who suffered severe lung inflammation post-COVID was given azithromycin three times weekly for an extended period. After treatment, a follow-up chest X-ray showed almost complete resolution of lung disease [3]. The mechanism as to how this worked needs to be clarified. However, more clinical studies and data could shed light on the use of azithromycin as a potential therapy for patients dealing with long COVID. 

References:

¹https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000806#

²https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9404997/#:~:text=In%20a%20few%20words%2C%20all,all%20scientifically%20acceptable%20large%20trials

³https://scholars.direct/Articles/microbiology/amr-5-022.pdf