According to Bloomberg News, a study comprising new data revealed that Pfizer Inc.’s Covid-19 pill, which is still in the experiment stage, was found to be effective in preventing hospitalization but will not eliminate the milder symptoms that occur due to breakthrough infections.
Pfizer revealed results from two research studies Tuesday. A statement said that Paxlovid was not effective enough to reduce symptoms in 673 adults from getting complications from contracting infections. The second finding unveiled the fact that the drug tended to reduce the chances of hospitalization by 70%.
Yet another study found that there is 89% effectiveness in keeping hospitalizations at bay if the individual was administered the Covid-19 pill within three days from the time the symptoms appeared. This further confirmed the fact as stated by Pfizer from an earlier analysis.
The results obtained are complicated but suggest that the pill will eventually become a standard mode of treatment for those patients vulnerable to developing severe disease. But the results obtained in the healthier group of individuals signal the need for more studies before the COVID-19 pill can be called a “go-to pill” option for vaccinated individuals who manifest symptoms that cause considerable discomfort but are not a threat to life.
Bloomberg News also reports that the shares surged 0.3% in New York. An independent study that the South African researchers carried out revealed that a 2-shot course of Pfizer and BioNTech SE’s covid vaccine could prevent 70% of hospitalizations and about one-third of the infections caused by the new coronavirus variant omicron.
South Africa’s Discovery Ltd, which is the largest health insurer in the country, findings were from a study that comprised 78,000 covid test reports.
Omicron Variant Shield
Pfizer lab tests indicate that Paxlovid will effectively address the activity of the new variant omicron. This pill works by targeting an internal protein which is called protease, and this protein is not known to be mutating a lot between variants. In comparison, the vaccines work by aiming at the spike protein that is highly mutated in the omicron variant and might diversify further into new variants in the future.
The results obtained offer clarity about its effectiveness. If the regulators confirm the results, it could open up a vista for the drug being used as an emergency. It can be used on a larger scale when Pfizer starts manufacturing the medication in larger quantities.
