Pfizer’s new COVID drug reduces hospitalization risk by 89%

The US company Pfizer said its oral antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19, in a second phase of its clinical trial, showed an 89 percent reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death, reads a statement published on the website of the pharmaceutical company, Report informs.

“Pfizer Inc. today announced its investigational novel COVID-19 oral antiviral candidate, PAXLOVID, significantly reduced hospitalization and death, based on an interim analysis of the Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for COVID-19 in High-Risk Patients) randomized, double-blind study of non-hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19, who are at high risk of progressing to severe illness. The scheduled interim analysis showed an 89 percent reduction in risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization or death from any cause compared to placebo in patients treated within three days of symptom onset,” reads the statement.

It is noted that no deaths were recorded among the participants in the control group in the study.

At the recommendation of an independent Data Monitoring Committee and in consultation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pfizer will cease further enrollment into the study due to the overwhelming efficacy demonstrated in these results and plans to submit the data as part of its ongoing rolling submission to the US FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) as soon as possible.

Pfizer intends to produce more than 180,000 doses of the drug by the end of the year, with plans to increase the number of doses to 50 million over the next year.