US plans to buy 10 million doses of Pfizer's anticovid pill

Pfizer will not profit from a pill against covid-19 in 95 countries 2:11

(CNN) -

The Biden administration plans to buy 10 million doses of Pfizer's experimental covid-19 antiviral pill, known as PF-07321332 or Paxlovid, and is ending the contract now, according to a source familiar with the plans. .

The announcement could come as soon as this week.

The administration had initially planned to buy around 5 million doses.

However, after seeing the data from Pfizer, President Joe Biden wanted to double the order, the source told CNN on Tuesday.

Is the Paxlovid pill safe against covid-19?

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Earlier this month, Pfizer announced the main results of its trial.

He said an interim analysis, conducted before the trial's scheduled end date, showed an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death from Covid-19 among people who received the drug within the first three days of onset. the symptoms.

The pill must be given in combination with an older antiviral medicine called ritonavir.

It is intended to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients at increased risk of hospitalization or death, the company said.

Pfizer Seeks Approval for Emergency Use

Pfizer announced early Tuesday that it is seeking emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, for the pill and that it has signed a licensing agreement to allow broader global access to it.

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"With more than 5 million deaths and countless lives affected by this devastating disease around the world, there is an urgent need for life-saving treatment options. The overwhelming efficacy achieved in our recent Paxlovid clinical study, and its potential to help to save lives and keep people out of the hospital if authorized, underscores the critical role oral antiviral therapies could play in the battle against COVID-19, "said Albert Bourla, Pfizer president and CEO, in a statement. .

Pfizer claims its pill reduces risk of death 0:47

The pill could prove to be an important tool in the Biden administration's response to the coronavirus as the US moves into colder months.

New covid-19 diagnoses increased in about half of the US states during the last week and hospitalizations increased in 11 states.

"I don't know what's going to happen in the next few weeks. But I have a feeling it won't be pleasant."

This was recently said by Michael Osterholm, who heads the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

CNN's Amanda Sealy and Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.

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