Coronavirus: Pfizer pill becomes first US-authorised home Covid-19 treatment

US health regulators on Wednesday authorised the first pill against Covid-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the virus.

The long-awaited milestone comes as US cases, hospitalisations and deaths are all rising and health officials warn of a tsunami of new infections from the Omicron variant that could overwhelm hospitals.

The drug, Paxlovid, is a faster, cheaper way to treat early Covid-19 infections, though initial supplies will be extremely limited. All of the previously authorised drugs against the disease require an IV or an injection.

An antiviral pill from Merck also is expected to soon win authorisation. But Pfizer’s drug is all but certain to be the preferred option because of its mild side effects and superior effectiveness, including a nearly 90 per cent reduction in hospitalisations and deaths among patients most likely to get severe disease.

“The efficacy is high, the side effects are low and it’s oral. It checks all the boxes,” said Dr Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic. “You’re looking at a 90 per cent decreased risk of hospitalisation and death in a high-risk group – that’s stunning.”

The Food and Drug Administration authorised Pfizer’s drug for adults and children ages 12 and older with a positive Covid-19 test and early symptoms who face the highest risks of hospitalisation. That includes older people and those with conditions like obesity and heart disease. Children eligible for the drug must weigh at least 88 pounds (40kg).

The pills from both Pfizer and Merck are expected to be effective against Omicron because they don’t target the spike protein where most of the variant’s worrisome mutations live.

Pfizer currently has 180,000 treatment courses available worldwide, with roughly 60,000 to 70,000 allocated to the US Federal health officials are expected to ration early shipments to the hardest hit parts of the country.