WASHINGTON - Pfizer said Tuesday that its experimental COVID-19 pill appears effective against the omicron variant.The company also said full results of its 2,250-person study confirmed the pill's promising early results against the virus: The drug reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by about 89% among high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial COVID-19 symptoms.Separate laboratory testing shows the drug retains its potency against the omicron variant, the company announced, as many experts had predicted.
Pfizer tested the antiviral drug against a man-made version of a key protein that omicron uses to reproduce itself.The updates come as COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalization are all rising again and the U.S.