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New Pfizer COVID-19 pill reduces hospital, death risk by 90%, company says
Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90 per cent as the drugmaker joins the race to bring the first easy-to-use medication against the coronavirus to the U.S. market.

Currently, all COVID-19 treatments used in the U.S. require an IV or injection. Competitor Merck’s COVID-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it.

Pfizer had not submitted the antiviral drug to Health Canada for regulatory approval at the time of publication. However, the federal regulator has received an application for Mereck’s pill and is still reviewing data.

READ MORE: COVID-19 antiviral pill approved in U.K. still being reviewed by Health Canada

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Pfizer said it will ask the FDA and international regulators to authorize its pill as soon as possible, after independent experts recommended halting the company’s study based on the strength of its results. Once Pfizer applies, the FDA could make a decision within weeks or months.

Researchers worldwide have been racing to find a pill against COVID-19 that can be taken at home to ease symptoms, speed recovery and reduce the crushing burden on hospitals and doctors.

Pfizer released preliminary results Friday of its study of 775 adults. Patients taking the company’s drug along with another antiviral had an 89 per cent reduction in their combined rate of hospitalization or death after a month, compared to patients taking a dummy pill. Fewer than one per cent of patients taking the drug needed to be hospitalized and no one died. In the comparison group, seven per cent 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 per cent efficacy and 100 per cent protection for death,” said Dr. Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer, in an interview.

Click to play video: 'Fauci says Merck data on its COVID-19 pill treatment ‘impressive’'
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Fauci says Merck data on its COVID-19 pill treatment ‘impressive’
Fauci says Merck data on its COVID-19 pill treatment ‘impressive’ – Oct 1, 2021
Study participants were unvaccinated, with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, and were considered high risk for hospitalization due to health problems like obesity, diabetes or heart disease. Treatment began within three to five days of initial symptoms, and lasted for five days.
Pfizer reported few details on side effects but said rates of problems were similar between the groups at about 20 per cent.

An independent group of medical experts monitoring the trial recommended stopping it early, standard procedure when interim results show such a clear benefit. The data have not yet been published for outside review, the normal process for vetting new medical research.

Top U.S. 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 globally — effective, easy-to-use treatments will be critical to curbing future waves of infections.