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Pfizer Says Its COVID Pill Paxlovid Can Fight Off Omicron

The company said a new study has shown that Paxlovid could be crucial to ending the pandemic.

Pfizer says a new study has shown that its COVID-19 pill is effective in not only preventing serious infection, but also fighting off the Omicron strain that is expected to soon be dominant. “We are confident that, if authorized or approved, this potential treatment could be a critical tool to help quell the pandemic,” Chief Executive Albert Bourla said in a statement early Tuesday. The company pointed to a new study of its Paxlovid pill that it said showed the drug was 89 percent effective in preventing hospitalization or death if given to a patient within three days of the onset of symptoms. The benefits of the drug were said to be almost just as good if given within five days of symptoms, with 88 percent effectiveness. While most of the patients involved in the study suffered from the Delta variant, lab experiments showed that Paxlovid successfully fights Omicron as well, according to Pfizer.