COVID-19 Drugs: Pfizer Opens Up On Potency Of Candidate Oral Pill.
Pfizer has announced their breakthrough trial oral pill for COVID-19, PAXLOVID.
The pill named PAXLOVID is said to reduce the rate of COVID-19 death and symptoms by 89 per cent.
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Pfizer’s PAXLOVID is an effort of getting a COVID-19 drug that can be taken at home. Also, an effort to create a drug that speeds up recovery.
According to a statement released by Pfizer on Friday, the trial drug was tested on 775 people. The result revealed that “89 per cent 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”.
The study also revealed that:
· Not less than one per cent of patients taking the drugs needed to be hospitalized.
· No death was recorded in 28 days compared to seven per cent hospitalized and seven deaths among the participants who took the placebo.
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Study revealed:
Study participants were unvaccinated.
The unvaccinated were with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms.
There were also considered high risks for hospitalization.
This was due to underlying illnesses like; i. obesity. ii. diabetes or heart disease.
Treatment began within three to five days of initial symptoms. The treatment lasted for five days.
Pfizer chief scientific officer, Mikael Dolsten said it is rare to see great COVID-19 drugs.
“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 for death,” he said.
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The Pharmaceutical giant said the pill would be authorized in the United States. It said the United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and international regulators would authorize the PAXLOVID.
“At the recommendation of an independent Data Monitoring Committee and in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pfizer will cease further enrollment into the study due to the overwhelming efficacy demonstrated in these results and plans to submit the data as part of its ongoing rolling submission to the U.S. FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) as soon as possible,” it said.
Source: The Cable
