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This page presents data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the FDA-approved drug label. A report submitted to FAERS does not prove a drug caused the reported event. Always consult a healthcare provider about medications.

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir)

Last updated: June 20, 2026
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Paxlovid is the brand name for nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. According to the FDA-approved label, PAXLOVID is indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. FAERS contains 53,422 submissions naming this drug from 2018 through 2026; the top three reactions cited are covid-19, disease recurrence, and dysgeusia.

Most-Reported Reactions

Counts of the reactions most often cited in FAERS submissions that named Paxlovid. Inclusion here does not establish causation - submitters describe what was observed, not what was confirmed. One submission can list several reactions, so the totals exceed the report count.

COVID-19 22,798 (42.7%) DISEASE RECURRENCE 20,098 (37.6%) DYSGEUSIA 7,339 (13.7%) DIARRHOEA 4,022 (7.5%) NAUSEA 2,631 (4.9%) HEADACHE 2,170 (4.1%) COUGH 2,044 (3.8%) FATIGUE 2,011 (3.8%) INCORRECT DOSE ADMINISTERED 1,700 (3.2%) VOMITING 1,401 (2.6%) MALAISE 1,371 (2.6%) NASAL CONGESTION 1,367 (2.6%) OFF LABEL USE 1,320 (2.5%) DRUG INTERACTION 1,277 (2.4%) PYREXIA 1,251 (2.3%)

Patient Demographics

Patient sex and age across the FAERS submissions that named Paxlovid. Percentages here are computed only from submissions where these fields were filled in - many leave them blank.

By Sex

Female Male Unknown

By Age Group

0-17 18-44 45-64 65+

Severity Outcomes

Severity flags recorded across the 53,422 FAERS submissions that named Paxlovid. Each bar shows the count of those reports carrying that flag. A single case can carry more than one (a hospitalization that became life-threatening, for example), so these bars are independent rates - they don't sum to 100%. Inclusion of a case under any flag does not establish that the drug caused the outcome.

DEATH 548 (1.0%) HOSPITALIZATION 3,103 (5.8%) LIFE-THREATENING 551 (1.0%) DISABLING 496 (0.9%)

Submissions Per Quarter

Quarterly count of FAERS submissions that named Paxlovid. Ups and downs on this chart can track prescribing volume, news cycles, or shifts in how reports get filed, rather than the drug becoming safer or more dangerous.

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

From the FDA-Approved Label

Excerpts from the official FDA-approved prescribing information for Paxlovid. This is the authoritative source on indications, warnings, and known adverse reactions.

Indications

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE PAXLOVID is indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. PAXLOVID which includes nirmatrelvir, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease (M pro : also referred to as 3CL pro or nsp5 protease) inhibitor, and ritonavir, an HIV-1 protease inhibitor and CYP3A inhibitor, is indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. ( 1 ) Limitations of Use PAXLOVID is not approved for use as pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of COVID-19. ( 1 ) Limitations of Use PAXLOVID is not approved for use as pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of COVID-19 [see Clinical Studies (14.3) ] .

Adverse Reactions (from label)

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: • Hypersensitivity reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥1% and greater incidence than in the placebo group) are dysgeusia and diarrhea. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Pfizer Inc. at 1-800-438-1985 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The safety of PAXLOVID is based on two Phase 2/3 randomized, placebo-controlled trials in symptomatic adult subjects 18 years of age and older with a laboratory confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Subjects in both studies received PAXLOVID (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir 300 mg/100 mg) or placebo every 12 hours for 5 days for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 within 5 days of symptom onset [see Clinical Studies (14) ] : • Trial C4671005 (EPIC-HR) enr...

FDA label effective date: 2026-02-19

Disclaimer

AdverseEvent.ai is not affiliated with the FDA. Adverse-event counts come from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Drug labels come from the FDA drug label dataset. A report submitted to FAERS does not prove a drug caused the reported event — always consult a healthcare provider about medications. This site is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.