A Covid-19 pill from US pharmaceutical company Pfizer is said to drastically reduce hospitalization and deaths among high-risk groups.
The company now wants to apply for approval.
Washington - According to the manufacturer Pfizer, a new corona pill is very successful in preventing severe disease in high-risk patients.
An interim analysis of test results showed that the drug called Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospital admissions and deaths in Covid-19 patients by 89 percent, Pfizer said in New York on Friday.
This applies to treatments within three days of the first Covid 19 symptoms; similar values would have resulted from treatments within five days.
Pfizer spoke of the "overwhelming effectiveness" these results showed.
The company now plans to submit the data for an emergency approval to the FDA as soon as possible.
If approved, the oral antiviral drug has the potential to "save the lives of patients, reduce the severity of Covid-19 infections and avoid up to nine out of ten hospital stays".
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From the point of view of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), a possible vaccination recommendation for children under the age of 12 is even more difficult than that for 12 to 17 year olds.
No child under 17 died in Germany exclusively from Covid-19, said Stiko chairman Thomas Mertens of the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” (Thursday).
Because the burden of disease was so low among 12 to 17-year-olds, the decision to vaccinate was so difficult in the balance of benefits and harm.
Stiko boss Mertens: pressure because of child vaccination is "absurd"
The British Medicines Agency MHRA approved a tablet for the treatment of Covid-19 for the first time on Thursday.
The antiviral drug Lagevrio (also known as molnupiravir) is safe and effective in reducing the risk of hospitalization and death in Covid patients with mild and moderate disease, a statement from the British government said.
It is the world's first approved antiviral for oral ingestion against Covid-19.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced at the end of October that it would examine the use of molnupiravir.
The US FDA has also initiated an approval process for the product.
The EMA is also examining seven other possible corona funds.
dpa