New Delhi: Pfizer has announced that an experimental antiviral pill for Covid-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death for adults is 89%.
Pil ‘Paxlovid’ is the second of its kind to demonstrate efficacy against Covid-19.
Pfizer pill seems to be more effective than similar offerings from Merck, which claimed the efficacy of 50% and is currently under review at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
US drug makers have been demanding it as a major step toward ending the pandemic.
Pfizer’s Experimental Studpfizer has released the preliminary results of his research on 775 adults.
Patients who took the drug along with other antivirus companies have a 89% reduction in the combined rate of hospitalization or death after a month, compared with patients taking a dummy pill.
Less than 1% of patients who took the drug needed to be hospitalized, and no one died.
In the comparison group, 7% were hospitalized and there were seven deaths.
Unvaccinated study participants, with Covid-19 mild to moderate, and are considered at high risk for hospitalization due to health problems such as obesity, diabetes or heart disease.
Treatment begins within three to five days of initial symptoms and lasts for five days.
Drugs were first identified in 2003Pfizer drug is part of a family of antivirus for decades known as protease inhibitors, which revolutionized the treatment of HIV and Hepatitis C drugs blocking the main enzyme that needs to be multiplied in the human body.
This drug was first identified during the SARS epidemic that originated in Asia during 2003.
Last year, researchers company decided to revive the drug and studied for Covid-19, given the similarities between the two coronavirus.
The others in the race that most treatments Covid-19 require IV or injection.
Merck reported in September that the drug, known as molnupiravir, cut rates of hospitalization and mortality by 50%.
Merck drug works by interfering with the genetic code Coronavirus, new approaches to interfere with the virus.
The FDA has set a public meeting later this month to review the Merck pill.
Experts warn against comparing the preliminary results because of differences in study.
The US has approved one more antiviral drugs for Covid-19 Remdesivir and official antibody therapy that helps the immune system fight the virus.
But they must be given by IV or injection in a hospital or clinic, and limited supplies strained by a surge in the last variant of the delta.
How do they vary in price? The US government provides vaccines and treatments for Covid-19 free of charge to its occupants.
Countries around the world are negotiating prices with Pfizer and Merck.
President Joe Biden on Friday said the US government had secured millions of doses of Pfizer treatments.
Merck had a $ 1.2 billion contract to supply the United States with 1.7 million of its drug program – or about $ 700 per course.
Britain has secured 250,000 courses Pfizer drug, but the price for England contract has not been published.
Pfizer’s Way ForwardResearcher worldwide have been racing to find a pill against Covid-19, which can be taken at home to ease the symptoms, restoring the recovery and reduce the burden crusher in hospitals and doctors.
Pfizer said it will ask the FDA and international regulators to certify the pill as soon as possible, after independent experts recommend stopping the study the company based on the strength of the results.
After Pfizer applicable, the FDA could make a decision within a few weeks or months.
90 countries in talks on Pfizer drug “Pfizer is in discussions with 90 countries over supply contracts for Covid pill-19 experiments,” said CEO Albert Bourla.
He called the news a real game-changer in the global effort to stop the devastation of this pandemic.
“These data indicate that the candidate oral antiviral us, if approved or authorized by the regulatory authority, has the potential to save the lives of patients, reduce the severity of infection Covid-19, and eliminate up to nine out of ten of hospitalization,” Chairman and CEO at Pfizer, added.
Expert Taketop US health officials continue to emphasize that vaccination will still be the best way to protect against infection.
But with tens of millions of adults still have not been vaccinated – and more global maintenance, easy to use will be important to limit the wave of infections in the future.
-With inputs from agencies