Pfizer’s COVID Pill Cuts 89 Percent of Severe COVID Cases: Clinical Trial Results
The logo of US multinational pharmaceutical company Pfizer, is pictured at a factory in Puurs, where Covid-19 vaccines are being produced for Britain, on December 3, 2020. - Britain on December 2, 2020 became the first western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for general use, while Japan and Italy pledged free inoculations for all even as the global death toll rose towards 1.5 million. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer has developed a COVID pill noting that it reduces the risk of severe COVID cases by 89 percent, according to the clinical trials of the company.

Pfizer said it stopped its trials early as the initial results were leaning positive, according to a BBC News report.

Pfizer named the drug Pxlovid and is intended to be taken after symptoms develop. Merck Sharp and Dohme's COVID pill were already approved by the U.K regulators.

The United Kingdom has already ordered 250,000 batches of the new Pfizer COVID pill, and another 480,000 courses of MSD molnupiravir pill.

Pfizer COVID Pill

Pfizer's COVID pill could obtain U.S. regulatory approval before the year ends. The company said that they are eying to submit interim trial results to the Food and Drug Administration before November 25, according to a Reuters report.

U.S. President Joe Biden said that the government has already got its hands on millions of doses of Pfizer's drug. He added that they are preparing once the FDA authorized the pill, making it available to people as soon as possible.

Biden said that the drug would be another tool on hand to protect people from the worst-case scenario of COVID.

The pharmaceutical company is currently talking about a supply contract with 90 countries for its COVID pill.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that their goal is that everyone would be able to have it as quickly as possible.

Dr. Grace Lee, professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, said that oral medications are going to extend their ability to really reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. However, Lee noted that it won't prevent infection.

The Pfizer COVID pill is designed to block an enzyme the virus needs to successfully multiply. Three pills are also taken twice a day for five days.

Dr. John Mellors, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh, said that having COVID pills to treat early cases of COVID would be a "very important advance," according to an Associated Press News report.

Mellors noted that people could get it in a local pharmacy with a prescription once symptoms were developed and the patient has tested positive. He added that it is what they do for many other infectious diseases.

Pfizer COVID Pill Clinical Trial Results

Pfizer released a preliminary result of its study, involving 775 adult participants. They noted that after receiving the drug, along with another antiviral, shortly after showing COVID symptoms, cases showed an 89 percent reduction in their combined rate of hospitalization or death after a month.

The results were compared to patients taking a placebo pill. Less than one percent of patients taking the drug needed to be hospitalized, adding that no one died.

Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer's chief scientific officer, said that they are hoping that they had something extraordinary, noting that it's rare to see great drugs come with almost 90 percent efficacy and 100 percent protection for death.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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