Pfizer's COVID-19 Pills Effective Against Omicron Variant, Can Reduce Hospitalizations And Deaths By 89%

The prospect of new pills to fight COVID-19 can't come soon enough for communities in the Northeast and Midwest, where many hospitals are once again being overloaded by incoming virus cases.

At a time when new threats of a massive outbreak due to the highly virulent COVID-19 strain Omicron is rapidly increasing, the Pfizer-N Biotech has stated that its experimental pill to treat COVID-19 appears effective against the newly found COVID-19 variant.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 was first found in South Africa, this strain has over 50 mutations which makes it strong enough to infect even those who have received both the vaccine doses against the coronavirus infection. This means the vaccines may prove ineffective against Omicron. However, with the arrival of Pfizer's COVID Pills, things can turn to a better side.

Pfizer's COVID Pills Reduces Risk of Death

In a statement, the vaccine-making company said that the drug reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by about 89% among high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial COVID-19 symptoms. According to the researchers, laboratory testing shows that the drug also retains its potency against the omicron variant. The updates come as COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalization are all rising again and the U.S. hovers around 800,000 pandemic deaths. The latest surge, driven by the delta variant, is accelerating due to colder weather and more indoor gatherings, even as health officials brace for the impact of the emerging omicron mutant.

When Can We Expect It To Reach The Markets?

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to soon rule on whether to authorize Pfizer's pill and a competing pill from Merck, which was submitted to regulators several weeks earlier. If granted, the pills would be the first COVID-19 treatments that Americans could pick up at a pharmacy and take at home. President Joe Biden called Pfizer's drug "another potentially powerful tool in our fight against the virus," in a statement.

Pfizer's COVID-19 Pills May Reduce Hospitalizations Risk by About 70%

Pfizer is also studying its pill in lower-risk adults including a subset who are vaccinated but reported mixed data for that group on Tuesday. In interim results, Pfizer said its drug failed to meet its main study goal: sustained relief from COVID-19 for four days during or after treatment, as reported by patients. But the drug did achieve a second goal by reducing hospitalizations by about 70% among that group, which included otherwise healthy unvaccinated adults and vaccinated adults with one or more health issues. Less than 1% of patients who got the drug were hospitalized, compared with 2.4% of patients who got a dummy pill.

(With inputs from Agencies)