NEW YORK CITY (NBC) – Pfizer says research into its new COVID-19 antiviral pill is very promising.
The drugmaker has released a report that says data shows their new pill, combined with a low dose of an HIV drug called Ritonavir, reduces hospitalizations and death in high-risk COVID-19 patients by up to 89%.
In the release, Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla calls it a “game-changer” and claims it could “eliminate up to nine out of ten hospitalizations.”
However, Pfizer has not yet published its full data, making it available for scrutiny from other researchers.
Still, Dr. John Sanders of Wake Forest Baptist Hospital tells NBC News that if the drug combination does perform as well as they say, it will have a “major impact on how we treat COVID-19.”
Pfizer will next ask the FDA to review their data and authorize the use of the drug combination as soon as possible.
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