Pfizer's COVID-19 Antiviral Pill Fails To Prevent Post Exposure Infection In Household Members

Pfizer Inc PFE said a large trial found that its COVID-19 oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid was ineffective at preventing the infection in people exposed to the virus.
The trial enrolled 2,957 adults who were household contacts exposed to an individual experiencing symptoms and had recently tested positive for COVID-19.
They were either given Paxlovid for five or ten days or a placebo.
Also Read: WHO Backs Pfizer's Oral COVID Antiviral Therapy For High-Risk Patients.
Those who took the five-day course were 32% less likely to become infected than the placebo group. That rose to 37% with 10 days of Paxlovid.
However, the results were not statistically significant.
Pfizer said safety data in the trial were consistent with previous studies, which had shown the pills to be nearly 90% effective at preventing hospitalization or death in COVID patients at high risk of severe illness when taken for five days shortly after symptom onset.
"While we are disappointed in the outcome of this particular study, these results do not impact the strong efficacy and safety data we've observed in our earlier trial for the treatment of COVID-19 patients..," Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla.
Price Action: PFE shares closed 2.85% lower at $49.07 on Friday.

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