Drugmaker Pfizer says its experimental pill for COVID-19 can reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death for high-risk patients taking part in a trial of the drug.
Gatekeepers News reports that Pfizer on Friday said its experimental pill designed to fight coronavirus reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89%.
Pfizer hopes that the combination of the pill with an older antiviral drug called ritonavir which can be taken at home by people will help them before they get sick enough to go to the hospital.
According to the company, a so-called interim analysis done before the trial was scheduled to end showed an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalisation or death from COVID-19 if patients got it soon enough.
Although Pfizer disclosed these results in a news release, it did not provide scientists to discuss the data ahead of release. Also, the data has not been peer-reviewed or published.
The company noted that more specifics in a peer-reviewed paper will be shared soon, adding that it will be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration.
In other news, the United Kingdom has become the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 antiviral pill, molnupiravir, jointly developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
On Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recommended that the potentially game-changing drug be used as soon as possible following a positive COVID-19 test and within five days of the onset of symptoms, citing clinical data.
Molnupiravir is the first oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 to be approved, marking a boost to the fight against the pandemic.
The green lights are coming from potential regulatory clearance in the United States as advisers of the country will meet this month to vote on whether molnupiravir should be authorised.
