Administered in the first days of a Covid 19 infection, this anti-Covid treatment would reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in patients at risk by almost 90% and by 70% in other patients. And it would be effective on patients affected by the Omicron variant.
- This antiviral administered within three days of infection would reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by up to 89%
- According to the laboratory, it would also be effective for patients infected with the Omicron variant
Would the long-awaited treatment against Covid-19 be ready to take over from vaccination in the fight against the pandemic? Pfizer has declared that his pill, given within three days of the onset of symptoms of an infection (and in combination with ritonavir), would reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 89%. If given within five days, the risk would be reduced by 88%.
These results are based on the analysis of the 2,246 participants included in the EPIC-HR (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for Covid-19 in High-Risk Patients) study show that the relative risk reduction in patients aged 65 years or more would be 94%, while it is one of the populations most exposed to the risk of hospitalization or death: 1.1% of patients who received this drug were hospitalized, compared to 16.3% of patients who received received the placebo.
Nearly 90% risk reduction
The EPIC-HR (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for Covid-19 in High-Risk Patients) study, phase 2/3, began in July 2021. The patients recruited had a diagnosis (confirmed in the laboratory) of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 with mild to moderate symptoms for less than five days and had to have at least one risk factor or comorbidity associated with an increased risk of developing a severe form of Covid-19.
Also in low-risk patients
Pfizer has also published preliminary data from a separate trial involving people at lower risk of severe COVID-19. These volunteers included vaccinated people who had at least one risk factor for severe disease, as well as unvaccinated patients who had no risk factors. Among this group of 662 volunteers, his treatment would reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 70%, the company said.
Efficiency in vitro on the Omicron variant
In both trials, most volunteers were infected with the Delta variant. But Pfizer has declared Tuesday that, during experiments in vitrohis new drug also showed good results blocking the replication of the Omicron variant, despite its large number of mutations.
According to Pfizer, the drug blocks one of the key proteases of the Omicron variant just as effectively as it does on the other variants.
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