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On Tuesday (local time), US President Joe Biden called Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral medication a “major step forward” in the fight against the pandemic.
“The hopeful findings provided today by Pfizer, demonstrating that their antiviral pill is effective in reducing the likelihood of serious disease in persons infected with COVID-19, gives me hope. This announcement adds to our arsenal of anti-virus weapons, including the Omicron version “read the President’s statement on Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral tablet
“Having vaccinated and getting a booster dose will continue to be the most effective weapons we have for saving lives. But, if this medication is approved, and the pills become widely available, it will be a big step forward in the fight against the pandemic “the statement was added
Encouraged by the data released by Pfizer today, showing its antiviral pill is effective at reducing risk of severe illness in people infected with COVID19. This provides another potentially powerful tool in our fight against virus, including Omicron variant: US Prez Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/mlZORp1RPe
— ANI (@ANI) December 14, 2021
Pfizer had previously published phase 2/3 research results confirming the innovative COVID-19 oral antiviral therapy candidate’s robust efficacy in decreasing the risk of hospitalisation or death on Tuesday. The final results of an analysis of all 2,246 adults enrolled in its Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for COVID-19 in High-Risk Patients) trial of its novel COVID-19 oral antiviral candidate PAXLOVIDTM [nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332) tablets and ritonavir tablets] were consistent with the interim analysis released in November 2021, indicating that PAXLOVID significantly reduced the
“In a secondary endpoint, PAXLOVID reduced the risk of hospitalisation or mortality for any reason by 88 percent compared to placebo in patients treated within five days of symptom start, an increase from the intermediate analysis’s 85 percent,” the announcement stated.
As part of a rolling submission for Emergency Use Authorization, the EPIC-HR data has been submitted with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (EUA). Meanwhile, Biden stated that numerous processes must be completed before the Pfizer drug can be made available, including FDA approval.
“To make sure we are ready, my administration has already ordered enough of these medications to treat ten million Americans,” Biden stated.
As the US continues to recover, he added that a combination of broad immunizations and boosters, testing, and effective medications for those who fall ill will help further decrease the impact of COVID-19 on lives and the economy.
