Pfizer confirms COVID pill’s results, potency versus omicron

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer says that its experimental COVID-19 pill appears effective against the omicron variant. The company also confirmed Tuesday (Dec. 14, 2021) that the pill delivered on promising early results in reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. The updates come as U.S. regulators are expected to soon decide on whether to authorize Pfizer’s pill and a competing drug from Merck. If authorized, the pills would be the first COVID-19 drugs that Americans could take at home to treat the virus. Pfizer is seeking U.S. authorization for high-risk adults but is also studying the drug in lower-risk adults. The company said the drug missed a key study goal in ongoing testing of those patients.