>> AND BRANDIS WE TOSS IT BACK
TO YOU.
>> NEW BREAKTHROUGHS IN COVID
RELATED MEDICINE AND THIS TIME
IT'S THE PILL.
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES PFIZER
AND MERCK HAVE BEEN WORKING ON
ANTIVIRAL PILLS THAT FIGHT
COVID-19.
MERCK'S PILL WAS AUTHORIZED IN
THE UNITED KINGDOM LAST WEEK AND
PFIZER SAYS IT PANS TO SEND THE
RESULTS OF THE TRIALS TO THE
U.S. FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION.
THE COMPANY CLAIM IT IS REDUCES
THE RISK OF HOSPITALIZATION OR
DEATH BY 89%.
JOINING US WITH MORE IS Dr.
IRFAN HAFIZ, INFECTIOUS DISEASE
SPECIALIST AND CHIEF MEDICAL
OFFICER OF NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE
McHENRY AND WOODSTOCK
HOSPITALS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
WE YOU HAD THAT MERCK'S PILL HAS
BEEN APPROVED IN THE U.K. PFIZER
NO AUTHORIZATION FOR THAT YET.
HOW DO THE PILLS WORK?
>> THESE ARE BOTH ANTIVIRAL
AGENTS.
IT'S EXCITING TO HEAR WE'RE AIL
TO GET THESE THROUGH THE TRIALS.
BOTH WORK SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY.
THE MERCK DRUG ACTUALLY IS A
KNEW CLEO SIDE IT WORKS EARLIER
IN THE PHASE WHERE THE IT
AFFECTS THE CELL.
WE'VE USED PORT TEASE PROTEASE
INHIBITORS.
IT IS BEFORE IT LEAVES THE WHOLE
CELL.
SO BOTH CAN AT DIFFERENT TARGETS
AFFECT THE CELL REPLICATION.
>> AND HOW WOULD YOU SAY THEIR
EFFECTIVENESS COMPARES TO ONE
ANOTHER?
>> THERE IS RIGHT NOW THE TRIALS
ARE NOT HEAD-TO-HEAD TRIALS.
SO IT'S HARD TO COMPARE THEM.
ABOUT THE OF THEM SEEM TO BE
QUITE EFFICACIOUS.
THE MERCK'S TRIAL SAYS IT'S 50%
ABILITY TO REDUCE
HOSPITALIZATION IF GIVEN WITHIN
FIVE DAYS OF ONSET OF SYMPTOMS.
PFIZER'S DRUG ON THE OTHER HAND
IS CLAIMING 89%.
WE HAVE GIVEN WITHIN THREE DAYS.
THEY ARE BOTH HIGHLY EFFECTIVE.
I'M SURE WE ARE GOING TO HEAR
MORE AS TIME GOES ON WITH WHAT
THE HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON
LOOKS LIKE.
>> AND THEY ARE BOTH A COURSE OF
PILLS?
>> BOTH ARE FIVE-DAY TREATMENTS
THAT NEED TO BE STARTED WITHIN
THREE DAYS RIGHT NOW PFIZER'S
LOOKS UP TO FIVE DAYS OF
SYMPTOMS IS POSSIBLE.
THE SOONER THE BETTER.
THIS IS BEFORE YOU'RE
HOSPITALIZED.
BY THE TIME YOU ARE HOSPITALIZED
THE ANTIVIRAL DRUGS ARE TOO LATE
TO DO ANY GOOD.
>> PFIZER'S C.E.O. ALBERT BOURLA
SPOKE ABOUT THE PILL.
>> EVERYBODY ARE NOT GETTING THE
VACCINES THIS IS WHY WE HAVE
THIS UNFORTUNATE SITUATION WITH
OUR ICU'S AND HOSPITALS IS
OVERCROWDED PEOPLE ARE GETTING
THE COVID.
AND WE HAVE A SOLUTION.
THIS IS NOT TO PREVENT COVID
THIS IS TO TREAT THOSE THAT GOT
THE DISEASE.
>> AND TO BE CLEAR HE SAYS NOT
EVERYBODY IS GETTING THE
VACCINES.
AND SO OFFICIALS OF COURSE Dr.
STILL RECOMMEND THE VACCINE NOT
WAITING TO GET SICK SO YOU CAN
JUST TAKE THE PILL, CORRECT?
>> THE VACCINE IS DEFINITELY THE
FIRST MEANS OF TREATMENT IN
PREVENTION.
SO YOU DON'T WANT TO GET INTO
THAT SITUATION ENCOURAGE
VACCINATION FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO
EITHER CANNOT GET VACCINATED OR
HAVE BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS
THAT THE DRUGS WILL BE OF GREAT
BENEFIT.
>> AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SO FAR
AS THE TIMELINE FOR EITHER THE
MERCK OR THE PFIZER PILL BEING
AVAILABLE IN THE U.S.?
>> PROBABLY IT MAY BE IN THE
NEXT MONTH TO TWO MONTHS.
I THINK THERE WILL BE EMERGENCY
USE AUTHORIZATION FROM THE
F.D.A. AS WELL.
I DO BELIEVE THAT THESE DRUGS
WILL PLAY A BIG ROLE AND
PROBABLY BE OTHER DRUGS THAT
WILL BE SIMILAR COMING DOWN
THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE
THERE.
BUT THESE DRUGS WILL PROBABLY BE
FAST TRACKED BY THE F.D.A.
>> AND IS THE PATIENT ELIGIBLE
TO RECEIVE THE COURSE TWICE?
IF YOU GET COVID IN JANUARY AND
ARE GIVEN THE PILL AND THEN
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER IF YOU
SHOULD HAPPEN TO GET IT AGAIN,
WOULD THE PILL STILL BE
EFFECTIVE?
>> PROBABLY YES.
IT SHOULD WORK.
I THINK ONE OF THE KEY POINTS IS
THAT UNLIKE VACCINATIONS THE
PILLS ARE NOT GOING TO PROVIDE
ANY LONG-LASTING IMMUNITY.
THEY WILL HELP CURB THE SYMPTOMS
AND REDUCE THE SEVERITY FOR THAT
ROUND OF INFECTION.
IT WILL NOT PREVENT THE NEXT
INFECTION.
AND THEREFORE MAY HAVE TO BE
USED AGAIN.
>> OK.
THE U.S. IS PAYING $712 PER
PATIENT FOR MERCK'S DRUG.
HOW DOES THAT PRICE TRANSLATE TO
CONSUMERS?
>> HARD TO SAY AT THIS POINT.
IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO SAY.
I SAW NUMBERS OF 700 FOR THE
PFIZER DRUG.
BUT THIS WAS BASED ON U.K.
PRICING THAT I SAW IN AN
ARTICLE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE EVENTUAL
RETAIL COST WILL BE.
>> THAT SEEMS LIKE A HIGH AMOUNT
LESS WEALTHY NATIONS WILL NOT BE
EXPECTED TO NEGOTIATE THAT
AMOUNT THEY HAVE NEGOTIATED
GENERICS?
>> CORRECT.
THERE'S --
THIS WILL LIMIT WHO IS GOING TO
BE ABLE TO GET THE DRUG FOR
SURE.
THE COST IS QUITE A BIT.
>> AND TO THAT END WILL THERE BE
GUIDANCE WHO IS ELIGIBLE OR
BENEFIT FROM RECEIVING THE
TREATMENT FOR EXAMPLE EARLY ON
OLDER PEOPLE THOSE
IMMUNOCOMPROMISED WERE FIRST IN
LINE FOR THE VACCINE?
>> ABSOLUTELY AS WE HAVE FOR THE
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY CRITERIA FOR
USAGE SIMILARLY FOR I DO EXPECT
THERE WILL BE USAGE CRITERIA AS
WELL.
IT GETS BACK TO THE IMPORTANCE
OF VACCINATION AS THAT
COST-EFFECTIVE WAY THE HIGH --
IF YOU LOOK AT
COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND THE
BENEFIT RATIO ARE THE HIGHEST
WITH VACCINES.
IT'S HARD TO BEAT.