WASHINGTON, June 4, 2023 (AFP) – A pill has been shown to halve the risk of death from a certain type of lung cancer when taken daily after surgery to remove the tumor, according to clinical trial results presented on Sunday. The results were unveiled in Chicago at the largest annual conference of cancer specialists, hosted by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Lung cancer is the form of the disease that causes the […]
Tag: pill
Biden doubles US purchase of Pfizer Covid therapeutic pills
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday a doubling of US government purchases of new Pfizer therapeutic pills designed to combat the worst effects of Covid-19. At a meeting with his White House pandemic response team, Biden said the new order will take the stockpile to 20 million from 10 million pills. “These pills are going to dramatically decrease hospitalizations and deaths,” he said. “We already placed the largest order in the […]
US health regulator authorizes Pfizer’s Covid pill as Omicron surges
by Issam AHMED Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States on Wednesday authorized Pfizer’s anti-Covid pill for high-risk people aged 12 and up, as a surge of cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant threatened holiday plans and Americans struggled to find tests. Paxlovid, which comprises two types of tablet, was granted an emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after a clinical trial showed it to reduce […]
Pfizer says Covid pill drastically reduces severe disease
by Issam AHMED with Claire DOYEN in Johannesburg WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pfizer said Tuesday that clinical trials confirmed its Covid pill — a new type of treatment that should withstand the mutations seen with Omicron — drastically reduced hospitalizations and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90 percent. The announcement came as a real-world study from South Africa showed two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 70 percent effective in stopping severe illness […]
Pfizer asks US to authorize Covid pill
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US pharmaceutical company Pfizer on Tuesday asked regulators to authorize its Covid pill after it was shown to cut hospitalization or death by nearly 90 percent among newly-infected high risk patients. The move comes a few weeks after Merck also approached the Food and Drug Administration seeking a green light for its antiviral capsule against the coronavirus. Experts see the oral medications as an invaluable addition to vaccines in the […]
Merck expects Covid pill to reach rich and poor countries simultaneously
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US pharmaceutical giant Merck has vowed to avoid the pitfalls of the global Covid vaccine rollout by ensuring its new anti-coronavirus pill is made available in wealthy and poor countries at almost the same time. Paul Schaper, the company’s executive director of global public policy, told AFP that Merck, known as MSD outside the US and Canada, began working on its access strategy from July 2020, long before the efficacy […]
Pfizer says Covid pill 89% effective against severe disease
by Lucie AUBOURG Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pfizer said Friday that a clinical trial of its pill to treat Covid-19 had shown it is highly effective, hailing it is as a big step toward ending the pandemic. A simple pill to treat the coronavirus at home has been sought since the start of the global health crisis. So far all treatments have been either intravenous or vaccine shots. Pfizer’s is […]
US approves first pill with digital tracking device
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US regulators have approved the first pill that contains a digital tracking sensor to alert doctors and caregivers as to whether a patient is taking a medication as scheduled. The pill, called Abilify MyCite (aripiprazole tablets with sensor), is designed for patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. A patient ingests the pill, and a sensor inside the pill activates when it […]
