Pfizer said on Friday that its investigational anti-viral pill against COVID-19 is reducing hospitalization and death rates by nearly 90% among high-risk adults, as the pharmaceutical company joins the race to launch the first easy-to-use virus medication in the US market.
Currently, all COVID-19 treatments used in the United States require an intravenous or injection. Competitor Merck’s anti-COVID-19 pill is already under review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the UK became the first country to allow it .
Pfizer has indicated that it will ask the FDA and international regulators to clear its pill as soon as possible, after independent experts recommended that the company’s study be stopped based on the strength of its results. Once Pfizer makes its request, the FDA could make a decision in a matter of weeks or months. If approved, the company would sell the drug under the name Paxlovid.
Researchers around the world have rushed to find a COVID-19 pill that can be taken at home to relieve symptoms, speed recovery and reduce the crushing burden on hospitals and doctors.
Pfizer released preliminary results from its study on 775 adults on Friday. Patients who received the company’s drug along with another antiviral shortly after exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 saw an 89% reduction in their combined rate of hospitalization or death after one month, compared to patients who have taken a dummy tablet. Less than 1% of patients taking the drug had to be hospitalized and no one died. In the comparison group, 7% were hospitalized and there were seven deaths.
“We were hoping to have something extraordinary, but it’s rare that you see great drugs with almost 90% effectiveness and 100% protection against death,” said Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer , in an interview.
Study participants were unvaccinated, suffered from mild to moderate COVID-19, and were considered to be at high risk for hospitalization due to health conditions like obesity, diabetes or heart disease. Treatment began within three to five days of the first symptoms and lasted for five days. Patients who received the drug earlier showed slightly better results, emphasizing the need for rapid testing and treatment.
Pfizer reported few details on side effects, but said rates of problems were similar between groups at around 20%.
An independent group of medical experts overseeing the trial recommended stopping it early, a standard procedure when interim results show such a clear benefit. The data has yet to be released for external review, the normal process for verifying new medical research.
Senior US health officials continue to stress that vaccination will remain the best way to protect against infection. But with tens of millions of adults still unvaccinated – and many more around the world – effective, easy-to-use treatments will be key to stemming future waves of infections.