Disease × agent evidence record

Ritonavir for Long COVID: evidence, trials and status

Ritonavir has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Long COVID. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit.

3 registered trials 0 recruiting 25 publications Evidence tier C · Preliminary Score 45.5
Research Tracker › Pairs › Long COVID › Ritonavir
Research map, not treatment advice. This page aggregates registry and literature records. It does not evaluate efficacy, dosing or safety for any individual. Discuss any treatment decision with a qualified clinician.

Summary

Ritonavir is tracked by OSMF as an investigational option for Long COVID; no regulator has approved it for this indication, and most post-viral conditions have no approved disease-modifying therapy at all. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 3 registered trials linking Ritonavir to Long COVID: 3 have completed. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT05965726, sponsored by Kanecia Obie Zimmerman). It plans or enrolled 964 participants. Registration activity spans 2022 to 2023. The literature layer holds 25 publications for this pair: 4 systematic reviews, 6 clinical trial publications and 15 other publications. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.

Long COVID / PASC is tracked on the OSMF post-viral programme alongside ME/CFS, Long COVID, POTS and MCAS. Across the programme, 423 candidate agents are logged for Long COVID, most of them preliminary; this page isolates the record for one of them.

Open in Repurposing ExplorerAgent page: RitonavirLong COVID hubLong COVID biomarkers & interventionsPubChem

Evidence table

Evidence tierC · Preliminary
Evidence score45.5 (trials 10.5, literature 30.0, tier 5, approved bonus 0.0)
Registered trials3 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 3 completed, 0 other
Linked publications25 (15 other publications, 6 clinical trial publications, 4 systematic reviews)
Agent typeDrug (Drug (Pharmaceutical), Other / Unclassified)
Development stage (any indication)Investigational
Mechanism / classAntiviral / Persistence
Data sourcesOSMF therapeutic agent database, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed
How the evidence score is calculated
  • Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
  • Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
  • The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
  • Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
  • The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.

Registered clinical trials

NCT IDTitleStatusPhaseEnrolment
NCT05965726RECOVER-VITAL: Platform Protocol, Appendix to Measure the Effects of Paxlovid on Long COVID Symptoms
Kanecia Obie Zimmerman · 2023
completedPhase 2964
NCT05576662Paxlovid for Treatment of Long Covid
Stanford University · 2022
completedPhase 2168
NCT05668091A Decentralized, Randomized Phase 2 Efficacy and Safety Study of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir in Adults with Long COVID.
Harlan M Krumholz · 2023
completedPhase 2100

Search ClinicalTrials.gov for newer studies

Published literature

Run the live PubMed search

Mechanism and notes

Recorded mechanism or class: Antiviral / Persistence.

Clinical notes: Investigational for listed conditions. 3 associated trial(s) and 0 study reference(s) in current data. Review primary sources and consult specialists before use.

Safety: Limited specific safety data in these populations. Review full prescribing information and consult specialist. Many agents used off-label or investigational.

Dosing in studies: See linked studies/trials for reported doses and durations; typical protocols vary widely.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ritonavir approved for Long COVID?

Ritonavir is tracked by OSMF as an investigational option for Long COVID; no regulator has approved it for this indication, and most post-viral conditions have no approved disease-modifying therapy at all. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.

Is Ritonavir in clinical trials for Long COVID?

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 3 registered trials linking Ritonavir to Long COVID: 3 have completed. The most advanced is Phase 2 (NCT05965726, sponsored by Kanecia Obie Zimmerman). It plans or enrolled 964 participants. Registration activity spans 2022 to 2023.

What does the evidence show for Ritonavir in Long COVID?

Ritonavir has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Long COVID. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is C (Preliminary), taken from the OSMF therapeutic agent database, which grades agents by the volume and design of condition-specific evidence rather than by effect size.

Cite this page

Open Source Medicine Foundation. Ritonavir for Long COVID: evidence, trials and status. OSMF Research Tracker. Updated 2026-10-07. https://research.opensourcemed.info/pairs/long-covid/ritonavir.html

Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-10-07. Page built 2026-10-07.

Get OSMF research updates on Substack

This is a research map, not treatment advice. Evidence tiers and scores summarise what has been studied, not whether a treatment works or is safe for you.