EU reviewing Pfizer’s COVID antiviral pill for emergency use

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulator says it’s started evaluating the coronavirus pill made by Pfizer Inc. to see if it might be used in emergency situations before it’s officially authorized. In a statement Friday, the European Medicines Agency said it’s looking at data on the effectiveness of Pfizer’s antiviral pill when given to people infected with COVID-19 who aren’t yet hospitalized but are at risk of developing severe disease. Early results suggest Pfizer’s pill reduces the risk of hospitalization or death, compared with people who received a dummy pill, when they were treated within three to five days of developing COVID-19 symptoms.