iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
US President Joe Biden lauded Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill PAXLOVID on Tuesday, Dec. 14, claiming it to be a significant step in the fight against the pandemic.
“I am encouraged by the promising data released by Pfizer today, showing that its antiviral pill is effective at reducing the risk of severe illness in people infected with Covid-19. This news provides another potentially powerful tool in our fight against the virus, including the Omicron variant,” the President said in a statement, referring to the newly identified coronavirus strain.”, said President Biden in a statement, referring to Pfizer’s experimental report dated December 14th.
President Biden went on to add that his government had already placed enough order of the pills for 10 million Americans but vaccination still remains the most essential tool to save lives.
Pfizer previously revealed fresh phase 2/3 research data on Tuesday, confirming the innovative COVID-19 oral antiviral therapy candidate’s robust efficacy in reducing the risk of hospitalization or death.
“The final results from an analysis of all 2,246 adults enrolled in its Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for COVID-19 in High-Risk Patients) trial of its novel COVID-19 oral antiviral candidate PAXLOVID™ [nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332) tablets and ritonavir tablets] were consistent with the interim analysis announced in November 2021, showing PAXLOVID significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization or death for any cause by 89 percent compared to placebo in non-hospitalized, high-risk adult patients with COVID-19 treated within three days of symptom onset, said Pfizer release.
“In a secondary endpoint, PAXLOVID reduced the risk of hospitalization or death for any cause by 88 percent compared to placebo in patients treated within five days of symptom onset, an increase from the 85 percent observed in the interim analysis,” the release further added.
Pfizer intends to make the pills available for everyone to take at home before moving to the hospital.
