Pfizer validates COVID pill’s efficacy and potency against omicron

Pfizer announced on Tuesday that its COVID-19 experimental tablet appeared to be effective against the omicron variety.

The company also said that the full results of its 2,250-person trial corroborated the pill’s promising early anti-viral outcomes: When given soon after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, the medicine reduced hospitalizations and fatalities by roughly 89 percent in high-risk patients.

According to the company, separate laboratory testing reveals the medicine retains its efficacy against the omicron version, as many experts predicted. Pfizer put the antiviral drug to the test against a man-made version of a key protein used by omicron to reproduce.

The updates come as COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations are all on the rise again, with the number of pandemic deaths in the United States surpassing 800,000. Even as health officials prepare for the consequences of the coming omicron mutant, the latest spike, fueled by the delta version, is intensifying due to colder weather and increased indoor gatherings in the European countries.