Pfizer‘s antiviral Covid-19 pill has been authorized by the FDA for emergency use. The drugmaker says the pill, which could be available to patients as early as this weekend, is meant to treat mild to moderate Covid-19 diagnosis in patients who are at increased risk of hospitalizations or death.
Wednesday the FDA approved the pill for patients 12 and up.
“Today’s authorization introduces the first treatment for COVID-19 that is in the form of a pill that is taken orally — a major step forward in the fight against this global pandemic,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. “This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and promises to make antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19.”
Pfizer’s pill is the first oral antiviral drug authorized by the FDA that is specifically designed to fight Covid. Earlier in November, the drugmaker revealed topline results from its trial showed an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death from Covid-19 among people given the drug within the first three days of symptom onset.
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