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Pfizer reports good results against severe COVID-19 for its antiviral pill
Filed Under:
COVID-19
Stephanie Soucheray | News Reporter | CIDRAP News
| Nov 05, 2021
Pfizer announced today that its oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 (Paxlovid) reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% compared with placebo when taken within 3 days of symptom onset, while the federal government faces push-back on vaccine mandates.
The preliminary results for the antiviral drug, whose generic name is ritonavir, are from a phase 2/3 study involving 775 adults.
Pfizer said researchers were ceasing the Paxlovid trial immediately based on the positive results and are adding data to the emergency use application for the drug.
"These data suggest that our oral antiviral candidate, if approved or authorized by regulatory authorities, has the potential to save patients' lives, reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections, and eliminate up to nine out of ten hospitalizations," said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer.
"Given the continued global impact of COVID-19, we have remained laser-focused on the science and fulfilling our responsibility to help healthcare systems and institutions around the world while ensuring equitable and broad access to people everywhere."
If approved, the drug would be the first oral antiviral of its kind, a specifically designed SARS-CoV-2-3CL protease inhibitor.
Multiple states sue over vaccine mandates
Conservative politicians across the country are reacting to the news that the Biden administration would require COVID-19 vaccination for two thirds of the American workforce by Jan 4 or be subjected to weekly testing.
Today, attorneys general in 11 states—Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming—filed a joint suit against the administration, along with several private, nonprofit, and religious employers, the Associated Press reports.
The lawsuit was filed in the St. Louis–based 8th US Circuit Court of Appealsand argues that the authority for mandating vaccines rests with states, not the federal government.
Attorneys general in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee yesterday filed a lawsuit against the federal government challenging the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for federal contractors, NPR reports. The lawsuit also claims the mandate is an example of federal overreach.
The governor of Indiana also said he plans to fight the federal mandate.
"While I agree that the vaccine is the tool that will best protect against COVID-19, this federal government approach is unprecedented and will bring about harmful, unintended consequences in the supply chain and the workforce," Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a statement.
Big business also rejects mandate
Though several major American businesses, including Disney, Ford, and United Airlines, have already mandated vaccines, dozens more protested the Biden administration's rule, which requires vaccines for all employers with more than 100 employees.
Several business groups said while they agree with vaccination, the Jan 4 deadline is too close to the holiday season, and will limit the ability of employers to get vaccinated in time.
The new federal rules also state that all unvaccinated workers must start wearing masks indoors by Dec 5.
"While the mandate on private employers technically begins post-holiday, the planning time to design and implement the mandate will fall during the busiest part of the shopping season,"he Retail Industry Leaders Association said yesterday.
Other US developments
Pfizer reports good results against severe COVID-19 for its antiviral pill
Filed Under:
COVID-19
Stephanie Soucheray | News Reporter | CIDRAP News
| Nov 05, 2021
Pfizer announced today that its oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 (Paxlovid) reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% compared with placebo when taken within 3 days of symptom onset, while the federal government faces push-back on vaccine mandates.
The preliminary results for the antiviral drug, whose generic name is ritonavir, are from a phase 2/3 study involving 775 adults.
Pfizer said researchers were ceasing the Paxlovid trial immediately based on the positive results and are adding data to the emergency use application for the drug.
"These data suggest that our oral antiviral candidate, if approved or authorized by regulatory authorities, has the potential to save patients' lives, reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections, and eliminate up to nine out of ten hospitalizations," said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer.
"Given the continued global impact of COVID-19, we have remained laser-focused on the science and fulfilling our responsibility to help healthcare systems and institutions around the world while ensuring equitable and broad access to people everywhere."
If approved, the drug would be the first oral antiviral of its kind, a specifically designed SARS-CoV-2-3CL protease inhibitor.
Multiple states sue over vaccine mandates
Conservative politicians across the country are reacting to the news that the Biden administration would require COVID-19 vaccination for two thirds of the American workforce by Jan 4 or be subjected to weekly testing.
Today, attorneys general in 11 states—Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming—filed a joint suit against the administration, along with several private, nonprofit, and religious employers, the Associated Press reports.
The lawsuit was filed in the St. Louis–based 8th US Circuit Court of Appealsand argues that the authority for mandating vaccines rests with states, not the federal government.
Attorneys general in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee yesterday filed a lawsuit against the federal government challenging the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for federal contractors, NPR reports. The lawsuit also claims the mandate is an example of federal overreach.
The governor of Indiana also said he plans to fight the federal mandate.
"While I agree that the vaccine is the tool that will best protect against COVID-19, this federal government approach is unprecedented and will bring about harmful, unintended consequences in the supply chain and the workforce," Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a statement.
Big business also rejects mandate
Though several major American businesses, including Disney, Ford, and United Airlines, have already mandated vaccines, dozens more protested the Biden administration's rule, which requires vaccines for all employers with more than 100 employees.
Several business groups said while they agree with vaccination, the Jan 4 deadline is too close to the holiday season, and will limit the ability of employers to get vaccinated in time.
The new federal rules also state that all unvaccinated workers must start wearing masks indoors by Dec 5.
"While the mandate on private employers technically begins post-holiday, the planning time to design and implement the mandate will fall during the busiest part of the shopping season,"he Retail Industry Leaders Association said yesterday.
Other US developments
- The United States reported 82,061 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, and 1,131 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker.
- The federal government has canceled the multimillion dollar deal it had with Emergent Biosolutions to produce COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Washington Post. The cancelation comes following a months-long shutdown of the company's Baltimore facility, which was found to have produced millions of contaminated vaccine doses this spring.
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has reached an agreement with nine labor unions regarding how the city will handle unvaccinated employees, the New York Times reported yesterday. In exchange, the unions have agreed to drop legal efforts to overturn the vaccine mandate.