Covid: the Pfizer pill 89% effective against hospitalizations and deaths

Europe 1 with AFP 1:11 p.m., November 5, 2021

Pfizer announced on Friday that its anti-Covid pill was 89% effective in preventing the risk of hospitalization or death, according to the first results of clinical trials. The company said it intends to provide these results "as soon as possible" to the United States Drugs Agency (FDA) for clearance. This is the second treatment of this type to show positive results, after the tablet developed by Merck, which was authorized Thursday in a first country, in the United Kingdom.

Antivirals work by decreasing a virus's ability to replicate, thereby slowing down the disease.

Easy to administer, these treatments represent a complement to vaccines to protect against Covid-19.

Pfizer's initial results are based on clinical trials on just over 1,200 adults who have contracted Covid-19 and are at risk of developing a severe case of the disease.

Within a few days of onset of symptoms, some were given the Pfizer pill and others received a placebo.

An "overwhelming efficiency"

"The interim analysis showed an 89% reduction in the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization and death from any cause, compared to placebo in patients treated within three days of symptom onset "Pfizer said in a statement. The trial will have a total of 3,000 people, but recruitments have now been halted "in the face of the overwhelming effectiveness" of the treatment in the first results, said Pfizer.

"Today's announcement is a real game-changer in our global efforts to stop the devastation caused by this pandemic," said Pfizer boss Albert Bourla, quoted in the press release.

"These data suggest that our candidate antiviral treatment, if approved by regulatory authorities, has the potential to save patient lives, reduce the severity of Covid-19 infections, and prevent up to nine out of ten hospitalizations," said he added.

Pfizer's treatment will be marketed under the name Paxlovid.