COVID: Pfizer Inc. claims its antiviral pill reduced hospitalisation, death risks by 90%

On Friday, November 5, Pfizer Inc. claimed that its COVID-19 antiviral pill reduced hospitalisation and death rates in high-risk people by over 90%, as the company joins the race to bring the first easy-to-use coronavirus treatment to the market in the United States, reported The Associated Press (AP). Currently in the US, all COVID-19 treatments involve an IV or injection. After the strong initial results, competitor Merck's COVID-19 tablet is already under evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the United Kingdom became the first country to approve it on Thursday, November 4.

After independent experts suggested halting the company's trial due to the strength of its results, Pfizer said it will approach the FDA and international regulators to approve the drug as soon as feasible. The FDA might reach a decision in weeks or months after Pfizer submits its application. If approved, the medicine would be sold under the brand name Paxlovid. On Friday, Pfizer released preliminary findings which were conducted on as many as 775 adults. When compared to patients who took a placebo pill, individuals who received the company's drug paired with another antiviral quickly after developing COVID-19 symptoms had an 89% lower combined rate of hospitalisation or death after a month. Only around 1% of people who took the medicine needed to be admitted to the hospital, and no one died. In the comparison group, 7% of people were admitted to the hospital, and seven people died, reported the news agency. 

Participants in the drug's trial were unvaccinated

"We were hoping that we had something extraordinary, but it’s rare that you see great drugs come through with almost 90% efficacy and 100% protection from death," Dr Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer was quoted as saying by The AP. Participants in the trial were unvaccinated, had mild-to-moderate COVID-19, and were at high risk of being admitted to the hospital owing to health issues such as obesity, diabetes, or heart disease. Treatment started three to five days after the initial symptoms and lasted five days. Patients who received the drug earlier had shown somewhat better outcomes, emphasising the need for prompt assessment and treatment.

Meanwhile, according to top US health officials, vaccination will continue to be the best approach to guard against infection. However, with tens of millions of adults worldwide remaining unvaccinated, effective, easy-to-use treatments will be vital in preventing future outbreaks. It should be mentioned here that Pfizer's medication is a protease inhibitor, a class of decades-old antiviral agents that transformed the treatment of HIV and hepatitis C. The medications prevent viruses from multiplying in the human body by inhibiting a critical enzyme. The drug was discovered for the first time during the SARS outbreak in Asia in 2003. 

(With AP inputs)

Image: AP/Unsplash