The company stopped clinical trials early because initial results for the drug were so positive.
The combination treatment works slightly differently to the Merck pill which introduces errors into the genetic code of the virus.
The company's chairman and chief executive officer Albert Bourla said the pill had "the potential to save patients' lives, reduce the severity of Covid-19 infections, and eliminate up to nine out of 10 hospitalisations".Vaccines against Covid-19 are seen as the best way of controlling the pandemic but there is also demand for treatments that can be taken at home, particularly for vulnerable people who become infected.
When treated within five days of symptoms appearing, 1% given Paxlovid ended up in hospital and none died. This compared to 6.7% of the placebo group being hospitalised and 10 of them dying.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pfizer: Antiviral pill cuts risk of severe Covid by 89% – latest updatesPfizer says antiviral pill cuts rate of hospitalisation, death by 89 percent. Other Covid19 updates: 🇩🇪 Germany sees second straight case record 🇰🇷 South Korea buys 30M doses of Pfizer's vaccine for 2022 🇯🇵 Japan eases border rules More here:
Read more »
Pfizer's COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid, cuts hospitalizations, deaths by 89%'An extraordinary effect': Pfizer says its COVID-19 pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89% in high-risk patients
Read more »
Pfizer's Covid antiviral pill may cut severe illness by 89 percentThe drugmaker Pfizer said Friday that clinical trials of its experimental Covid-19 pill have been so successful in preventing people from becoming hospitalized
Read more »
As China faces its most widespread Covid outbreak since Wuhan, officials double down on zero CovidChina is scrambling to contain its most widespread Covid-19 outbreak since the first wave of infections that began in Wuhan in 2019.
Read more »
Pfizer says its experimental pill reduces risk of hospitalization, death from Covid-19Drugmaker Pfizer said Friday its experimental pill designed to fight coronavirus reduced the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk patients taking part in a trial of the drug.
Read more »