Pfizer's Covid-19 Pill, Paxlovid Fails to Study its Preventive Use

According to a recent study, Pfizer's Covid-19 pill was unable to prevent symptomatic infections in adults exposed to the pandemic virus. Pfizer said that the drug, called Paxrovid, failed to meet the study's main goal of significantly reducing the risk of confirmed symptomatic Covid-19 infections in adults who were exposed to the virus.

Paxlovid was approved by US health authorities in December for the treatment of people over the age of 12 who are in the early stages of the disease and are at high risk of developing severe Covid-19.

The main advantage of pills over other Covid-19 treatments was that they could be taken at home to avoid hospitalization. Merck & Co's other antiviral drug from Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP is also cleared for use.

Paxlovid's approval is based on recent studies that have shown that pills are highly effective in reducing the risk of hospitalization or death when taken within 5 days of symptoms. Pfizer continues to study Paxlovid in patients at low risk of developing serious illness to see if it can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death.