Pfizer Says Its COVID-19 Pill Reduces Risk of Hospitalization and Death by 89%

Isabella James, Tech Times 05 November 2021, 12:11 pm

Pfizer has said that an interim analysis of its experimental COVID-19 pill shows that it can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 89%. The experimental COVID-19 drug by Pfizer is called PAXLOVID.

Pfizer Pfizer has developed an experimental COVID-19 pill that the company says reduces hospitalizations and deaths by 89%.is planning to submit that data garnered from the analysis to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to apply for emergency use authorization.

The PAXLOVID is the second COVID-19 pill that has been deemed effective. The first one is the Merck COVID-19 pill that received authorization from the United Kingdom on Thursday.

Pfizer Says Its COVID-19 Pill is Effective

Pfizer has said in a press release that its experimental COVID-19 pill called PAXLOVID can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death.

According to Pfizer, "The scheduled interim analysis showed an 89% reduction in risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization or death from any cause compared to placebo in patients treated within three days of symptom onset."

Per a report by The Verge, Pfizer is planning to submit the data to the FDA to apply for emergency use authorization. No specific date has been given as to when the company plans to submit the data.

The way that Pfizer's experimental COVID-19 pill works is that it stops the "coronavirus from making copies of itself inside cells."

To study the effectiveness of the PAXLOVID, the COVID-19 pill was tested on 1,219 COVID-positive adults who had mild to moderate symptoms. These adults have at least one underlying medical condition, which includes diabetes and lung conditions.

The adult participants were split into two groups. One group received placebo pills, and the other group received the active drug. No one among those who received the active drug died, and only three were hospitalized.

In the other group, a total of seven people died while 27 were hospitalized.

Merck's COVID-19 Pill

As The Verge's report has noted, Pfizer's PAXLOVID is the second COVID-19 pill that has been declared effective. The first one is the COVID-19 pill developed by Merck, Sharp, and Dohme.

Merck's pill was given authorization in the U.K. on Thursday. Per The Verge, the FDA is set to discuss it at the end of the month.

Pfizer and COVID-19

Pfizer has played a huge role in helping the world deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has developed one of the COVID-19 vaccines that is widely used these days.

The Pfizer COVID-19 is actually one the mRNA vaccines available to treat the virus. The other mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is Moderna.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was recently approved for children ages five to 11 years old. It was also allowed to be used as a booster show as well.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isabella James