Pfizer Inc. is pushing back by months a late-stage study on its lead antiviral treatment for Covid-19 because it couldn\u2019t enroll enough patients at a time when infections are surging.<\/p>\n
The giant U.S. drugmaker has been praised for ushering in a successful vaccine in just 10 months, a major feat given vaccines typical take years to develop. But while vaccines are studied in healthy volunteers from the community at large, antiviral treatments must be measured in sick patients, typically in early stages of the disease.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s posing a logistical hurdle for Pfizer. Many hospitals, seeing a record rise in U.S. cases, are prioritizing people with severe disease and struggling to put resources into trials, said Annaliesa Anderson, chief scientific officer of the bacterial vaccines unit. Pfizer also found patients were reluctant to join the small safety study without assurances that their condition would improve by receiving the infusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re in a pandemic, people are desperate for treatments,\u201d Anderson, who leads the company\u2019s Covid-19 antiviral program, said in an interview. \u201cWe didn\u2019t expect the study to be so slow.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/path> <\/path><\/g><\/svg> 274,703 in U.S.<\/span>Most new cases today 17,\u200b501,\u200b563 Vaccine doses administered in 38 countries