Pfizer claims COVID pill cuts risk of severe COVID by 89% | Times of Oman

Pfizer claims COVID pill cuts risk of severe COVID by 89% | Times of Oman

Pfizer said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90%. The announcement follows a day after the United Kingdom became the first country to give the green light to a pill for coronavirus treatment developed by competitor Merck & Co. How effective is Pfizer's COVID-19 pill?Pfizer's pill will be given with an older antiviral called ritonavir. The combination treatment will have the brand name Paxlovid and consists of three pills given twice daily. In a trial study of 775 patients, patients taking the combination treatment saw a 89% reduction in their combined rate of hospitalization or death after a month. This was compared to patients taking a placebo. Fewer than 1% of patients taking the drug needed to be hospitalized and no one died. In the comparison group, 7% were hospitalized and there were seven deaths. "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,'' Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer's chief scientific officer, said. Study participants were not vaccinated, showed mild-to-moderate COVID-19, and were considered high risk for hospitalization due to health problems like obesity,