Washington, Nov 18 (UNI/Sputnik) The United States plans to make an anti-viral COVID-19 drug developed by Pfizer widely available at no cost, with a tentative agreement to purchase 10 million doses, once the treatment receives approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), President Joe Biden said on Thursday.
"Today, I’m announcing that we have purchased 10 million treatment courses of the Pfizer antiviral COVID-19 pill, with delivery starting at the end of this year and across 2022," Biden said in a statement released by the White House. "My administration is making the necessary preparations now to ensure these treatments will be easily accessible and free."
A phase 2/3 clinical trial of the drug Paxlovid, which was administered to high-risk patients within three days of symptom onset, showed the treatment nearly 90% effective in preventing hospitalization. No one in the trial died, Pfizer said earlier on Thursday.
Biden hailed the treatment as potentially "another critical tool" to "accelerate our path out of the pandemic."
But the president also urged Americans to get vaccinated, which he said remains the strongest weapon available to combat COVID-19.
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