This is a BFD, as Joe Biden would say. Between this and Merck's new pill, there will be some easy and lifesaving options for covid patients. When they stop a study because the results are that good, that's a classic sign of a game-changing medication. Via the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer Inc. said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, as the drugmaker joins the race to bring the first easy-to-use medication against the coronavirus to the U.S. market.
Currently all COVID-19 treatments used in the U.S. require an IV or injection. Competitor Merck’s COVID-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it.
Pfizer said it will ask the FDA and international regulators to authorize its pill as soon as possible, after independent experts recommended halting the company’s study based on the strength of its results. Once Pfizer applies, the FDA could make a decision within weeks or months.
Expect this to have big ripple effects on the market, since these oral drugs truly do represent a return to near-normal:
