Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine was approved for use in the US by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) on Monday 23 August, 2021 according to a press release on the FDA’s website.
“Since 11 December, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021”, the press release further stated.
“The vaccine, which will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), is for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older” the release continues.
Meanwhile, the company is now experimenting with a daily pill for COVID-19. Back on Tuesday 23 March, 2021 the company announced that it had initiated a Phase 1 study of a “novel oral antiviral therapeutic agent against SARS-CoV-2”.
According to Mikael Dolsten, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and President, Worldwide Research, Development and Medical of Pfizer,
“Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic requires both prevention via vaccine and targeted treatment for those who contract the virus. Given the way that SARS-CoV-2 is mutating and the continued global impact of COVID-19, it appears likely that it will be critical to have access to therapeutic options both now and beyond the pandemic”.
Going by the clinical trial code name PF-07321332, “the drug is meant to combat COVID-19 in patients who experience symptoms from the disease, but don’t require hospital care”, according to the Epoch Times.
Pfizer is reported as saying that the drug could be available by the end of the year and that it may be able to reduce the burden on hospitals.
Pfizer said it is also investigating an intravenously administered investigational protease inhibitor, PF-07304814, which is currently in a Phase 1b multi-dose trial in hospitalized clinical trial participants with COVID-19.
The Pfizer statement comes with the disclaimer that “The information contained in this release is as of March 23, 2021. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments”.
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