Pfizer Says Its COVID Pill 90 Percent Effective

Pfizer said Friday that its experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 cut hospitalization and death rates by nearly 90 percent in high-risk adults.

輝瑞公司週五表示，其試驗性新冠抗病毒藥丸使高風險成年人的住院率和死亡率降低了近90%。

Pfizer's study was stopped when 774 adults had been treated for 28 days.

輝瑞的研究在774名成年人接受了28天治療後停止。

Among those who took an inactive substance, or placebo, there were 27 hospitalizations with seven deaths.

在服用無活性物質（即安慰劑）的人中，有27人住院，其中7人死亡。

Pfizer said adults in the study were considered high risk for hospitalization.

輝瑞表示，參與研究的成年人被認為住院風險較高。

They were unvaccinated and showed signs, or symptoms, of mild to moderate COVID-19.

他們未接種疫苗，並出現了輕度至中度新冠的跡象，即症狀。

The study shows an 89 percent reduction among patients treated within three days of showing symptoms.

研究顯示，在出現症狀後三天內接受治療的患者中，風險降低了89%。

A larger study of 1219 people also shows an 85 percent reduction among those treated within five days.

一項涉及1219人的更大規模研究也顯示，在五天內接受治療的人中風險降低了85%。

In that study, six people who received the Pfizer medication were hospitalized.

在那項研究中，服用輝瑞藥物的人中有六人住院。

No one in that group died.

該組中無人死亡。

There were 41 hospitalizations and 10 deaths in the placebo group.

安慰劑組有41人住院，10人死亡。

The company said it will ask the FDA and international health officials to approve the pill as soon as possible.

該公司表示，將盡快請求FDA和國際衛生官員核准這種藥丸。

The treatment, called Paxlovid, consists of three pills given twice a day for five days.

這種名為Paxlovid的療法包括三片藥，每天服用兩次，連服五天。

Last month, drugmaker Merck announced study results of an antiviral pill it produced.

上個月，製藥公司默克公布了其生產的一種抗病毒藥丸的研究結果。

It cut rates of hospitalization and death by 50 percent.

它使住院率和死亡率降低了50%。

This week, Britain approved that pill for emergency use.

本週，英國核准該藥丸緊急使用。

The FDA is currently considering whether to approve it for emergency use in the U.S.

FDA目前正在考慮是否核准該藥在美國緊急使用。

Last year, Pfizer researchers started studying it for COVID-19.

去年，輝瑞研究人員開始研究將其用於治療新冠。

The FDA has already approved several treatments for COVID-19.

FDA已經核准了幾種新冠療法。

But all of them must be injected by healthcare workers.

但它們都必須由醫護人員注射。

Pills can be taken at home and are easier to send around the world.

藥丸可以在家服用，也更容易運往世界各地。

Pfizer said it could produce more than 180,000 treatments by the end of 2021 and at least 50 million by the end of 2022.

輝瑞表示，到2021年底可生產超過18萬個療程，到2022年底至少生產5000萬個療程。