Health News Roundup

Each month, the Observer brings you a roundup of some recent health news.

Study casts doubt on Paxlovid’s impact

Paxlovid is the medication often prescribed to lessen the most severe side effects from COVID-19 infection, thus helping prevent hospitalizations and deaths. However, a new study shows the medication may have much less impact than was first thought when the drug was approved.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was conducted to tease out the true impact of taking Paxlovid, which can cost more than $1,000 per treatment course. The manufacturer of the drug, Pfizer, produced clinical trial data in 2022 that found taking Paxlovid early in the course of an infection reduced hospitalizations in unvaccinated adults. However, a 2024 study suggested Paxlovid had little impact on hospitalizations in adults who were vaccinated against COVID.

The new study shows Paxlovid does not significantly curb hospitalizations in older adults (age 70 or older) who are vaccinated against COVID. The authors looked at hospitalization and mortality data of people in Ontario, Canada, who were just under age 70 and compared them to people ages 70 and older. In Ontario, a policy restricted Paxlovid use to adults with Covid who were 70 and older or who were immunocompromised or had other risk factors. They found the rate of hospitalizations among people just below 70 and those just above 70 were similar.

The findings apply only to older adults who are vaccinated, the authors note.

You can play pickleball after joint-replacement surgery

Most pickleball players who need joint arthroplasty — hip or knee replacement surgery — were able to return to their sport and play at a similar skill level within six months of surgery, according to data presented recently at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Pickleball participation has soared 159% since 2019, nationwide, said the authors of the study, from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and the University of Utah. The sport is particularly popular among people 60 and older. Joint osteoarthritis is also common in older adults.

The study was based on an online survey of 1,284 people who had at least one primary joint replacement surgery. The survey asked patients about their prior and current racket sports participation, including ability level, expectations, limitations and reoperations. The respondents were followed an average of 3.6 years.

The authors found that 71.9% of pickleball players returned to play after surgery. The most common time window to return to play was four to six months. The majority of those who returned to play reported an increase or similar enjoyment and skill levels.

Rates of reoperation were not significantly different between patients who did and did not return to play. People should adhere first to the personalized instructions from their doctors about how to rehab and return to play after surgery.

Start weight-loss medication sooner

Many overweight adults struggle to lose pounds using behavioral or lifestyle approaches, such as diet and exercise programs. However, research suggests that patients who are struggling to lose weight do better if their physicians start them on an anti-obesity medication just one month after beginning behavioral therapy.

Current guidelines recommend people try behavioral programs for six months before starting medication therapy.

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, found that adults who received a weight loss medication one month after beginning a reduced-calorie diet and exercise program experienced more than double the weight loss compared to patients who were prescribed medication six months into a behavioral program.

The GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, such as Wegovy and Zepbound, have been found to be extremely helpful in inducing weight loss. Diet and exercise programs can be successful, too, although the results vary widely among individuals, the study authors from the University of Pennsylvania noted.

“Surprisingly little is known about how to help patients who struggle to lose weight when they are already receiving frequent lifestyle counseling sessions,” said study author Jena Shaw Tronieri, Ph.D., of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. “Some experts have suggested that adding an anti-obesity medication should be the next step, but no studies have tested whether this approach actually improves weight loss.”

In the study, participants were assigned to take the older-generation weight-loss medication phentermine, an appetite suppressant, or a placebo while they completed 24 weeks of behavioral interventions for weight loss. Those who took a placebo along with the one-on-one behavioral sessions lost only 2.8% of their starting weight after 24 weeks. However, for participants who added phentermine, weight loss more than doubled — to 5.9% of their starting weight.

The study is important because many people who fail to lose much weight after months of dieting and exercise often become discouraged and give up, the authors said. Prescribing a medication earlier into their weight-loss journey could help many more stay on track.

The authors noted that patients who use the newer GLP-1 medications could experience even greater weight loss compared to the study participants who took phentermine.

Opioids may not help with back pain

The evidence for taking opioid painkillers to alleviate back pain is surprisingly weak, according to a new study that looked at hundreds of randomized clinical trials that explored medication for back pain.

The study was published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. Researchers from Australia reviewed 301 randomized trials that compared 56 noninvasive treatments for low back pain, like medications and exercise, with placebos. They used a statistical method to combine the results of those studies and draw conclusions, a process known as a meta-analysis. They found opioid painkillers provided, at best, only a small analgesic effect.

The study showed that for acute low back pain, there is some evidence that NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, are effective. For chronic low back pain, there is moderately good evidence that exercise, spinal manipulative therapy, taping, antidepressants and TRPV1 agonists are effective. The authors said more high-quality, randomized clinical trials are needed to explore non-surgical remedies for back pain.