The World Health Organization (WHO) on April 21 endorsed the use of Pfizer Inc.’s oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment in high-risk patients after an analysis of trial data by the U.N. agency showed the therapy dramatically cut the risk of hospitalization.
Of existing COVID-19 treatments, Pfizer’s Paxlovid is by far the most potent, the WHO said.
Other therapies include Merck & Co.’s rival pill molnupiravir, Gilead Sciences’ intravenous remdesivir, and antibody treatments.
A WHO analysis of two Paxlovid clinical trials involving nearly 3,100 patients suggested it reduced the risk of hospitalization by 85 percent. In high-risk patients—those with over 10 percent risk of hospitalization—using Paxlovid could lead to 84 fewer hospitalizations per 1,000 patients, the agency said.
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