Pfizer says its antiviral pill slashes risk of severe Covid-19 by 89pc | Malay Mail

NEW YORK, Nov 6 — Pfizer Inc’s experimental antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 cut by 89 per cent the chance of hospitalisation or death for adults at risk of severe disease, the company said yesterday, as its CEO vowed to make this promising new weapon in the fight against the pandemic available globally as quickly as possible.

Shares in Pfizer, which also makes one of the mostly widely used Covid-19 vaccines, rose 11 per cent to close at US$48.61 . Merck’s fell 10 per cent to close at US$81.61. Shares of vaccine makers took a hit, with Moderna Inc, Pfizer’s German partner BioNTech SE and Novavax all down 11-21 per cent. Pfizer is in active discussions with 90 countries over supply contracts for its pill, Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in an interview.

“Vaccines are going to be the most effective and reliable tool that we have in this pandemic,” said Dr Grace Lee, professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. “These oral medications are going to augment our ability to really reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalisation and death, which is huge, but it won’t prevent infection.”

“I think there’s a small percentage of people that may decide not to get vaccinated now that there are good treatment options,” Divan said.Pfizer said it expects to manufacture 180,000 treatment courses by the end of this year and at least 50 million courses by the end of next year, including 21 million in the first half of 2022. Bourla said that, based on the better-than-expected trial results, Pfizer is considering potentially doubling next year’s manufacturing target.

Among those given Pfizer’s drug within three days of symptom onset, the pill lowered the chances of hospitalisation or death for adults at risk of developing severe Covid-19 by 89 per cent compared to those receiving a placebo. Among these patients, 0.8 per cent were hospitalised and none died by 28 days after treatment, compared to a 7 per cent hospitalisation rate and seven deaths in the placebo group.

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