Pfizer’s COVID pill is poised to be among the fastest-selling treatments of all time
New England Council member, Pfizer, is set to have one of the fast-selling COVID-19 pills. The current demand for COVID pills is set to make Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid among the fastest-selling treatments of all time. Paxlovid is an antiviral therapy, that helps to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID. This product’s demand is expected to surge as monoclonal antibodies lose potency.
Thus far, Pfizer has had a weak rollout of this medication. Limited demand thus far can be due to reduced COVID testing, confusion as to who’s eligible for treatment, production constraints, falling hospitalization rates and the perception of the omicron variant as less virulent. These pills have been starting to distribute into parts of the U.S., but the use has still been lower than anticipated. Paxlovid’s interactions with several common medications, some of those taken by older patients at high risk, are complicating the effort. Regardless, COVID pills are cheaper and easier to administer than other treatments, their efficacy is holding up against variants and they should play a critical role as the COVID pandemic moves to a more predictable endemic phase.
The U.S. government is rapidly moving Paxlovid to pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities and working to make sure doctors and patients know about the drug but will need more funds to sustain the campaign. Paxlovid, when administered within five days of symptoms appearing, has been proven to bring about a 90% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among patients most likely to get the severe disease.
The New England Council would like to commend Pfizer for the rollout of its Paxlovid COVID-19 treatment.
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