A handful of small companies are working on long Covid treatments — sorely needed tools as the number of those afflicted grows.
More than four in 10 people — 43% — said in a recent TIPP poll that they knew someone with long Covid, a condition where symptoms persist for several weeks or longer.
Long Covid is particularly complicated because there's no set list of symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes a wide array of ongoing health problems that could include fatigue, shortness of breath, neurological and digestive symptoms as well as joint or muscle pain.
But so far, large companies are shying away from treating the condition.
Instead, small companies have taken up the mantle in long Covid treatment. They include Axcella Therapeutics, First Wave BioPharma, Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Regencell Bioscience, Aim ImmunoTech, Tonix Pharmaceuticals and privately held Humanetics.
Long Covid Treatments: Up To 23 Million
Axcella, Ampio, Regencell and Tonix include long Covid treatments in their pipelines. First Wave is working on gastrointestinal side effects of Covid-19. Aim is testing out a treatment for Covid-19 patients with cancer. Humanetics is looking at lung injuries in Covid-19 patients.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates up to 23 million people in the U.S. have long Covid. Research is still in its infancy, though. Not every Covid-19 case is diagnosed. Further, symptoms of long Covid vary and manifest themselves differently in each person.
The phenomenon isn't new. Survivors of the original SARS virus have reported chronic fatigue four years after the initial infection. The GAO estimates the post-Covid condition could push 1 million Americans out of the workforce, highlighting the need for long Covid treatments.
Large Companies Focus On Acute Covid
Among large companies, vaccines and acute treatments have been more popular than research into long Covid treatments.
Pfizer, Merck, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, Vir Biotechnology and Gilead Sciences make treatments for Covid-19 patients, including pills and infusions.
Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson make Covid-19 vaccines.
In the TIPP poll, 23% of people knew someone who experienced a serious side effect due to a Covid-19 vaccine. A slightly higher percentage, 34%, knew someone who had a non-serious reaction after receiving a Covid-19 shot. Recent testing shows Covid-19 vaccines lower the risk of long Covid by 15%.
Follow Allison Gatlin on Twitter at @IBD_AGatlin.
