Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
PFIZER HAS SAID its experimental antiviral pill for Covid-19 cut rates of hospital admission and death by nearly 90%.
It comes as the pharmaceutical company joins the race to bring the first easy-to-use medication against coronavirus to the US market.
Competitor Merck’s Covid-19 pill is already under review at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after showing strong initial results, and on Thursday the United Kingdom became the first country to OK it.
Pfizer said it will ask the FDA and international regulators to authorise its pill as soon as possible, after independent experts recommended halting the company’s study based on the strength of its results.
Once Pfizer applies, the FDA could make a decision within weeks or months.
Pfizer said that its manufacturing facility in Ringaskiddy will support the global manufacturing and supply of the pill if it is approved.
Pfizer has begun investing – prior to regulatory authorization and solely at our own risk and expense – in the manufacture of our potential COVID-19 oral antiviral candidate to help bring this potential treatment to patients as soon as possible.
Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic will likely require both vaccination and targeted treatments for those who contract the virus. Pfizer continues to dedicate its best-in-class global resources at all levels to work towards the development of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the development of potential antiviral treatments.
Researchers worldwide have been racing to find a pill against Covid-19 that can be taken at home to ease symptoms, speed recovery and reduce the crushing burden on hospitals and doctors.
Pfizer released preliminary results today, of its study of 775 adults.
Patients taking the company’s drug along with another antiviral had an 89% reduction in their combined rate of hospital admission or death after a month, compared with patients taking a dummy pill.
Fewer than 1% of patients taking the drug needed to be admitted to hospital and no-one died.
In the comparison group, 7% were admitted to hospital and there were seven deaths.
“We were hoping that we had something extraordinary, but it’s rare that you see great drugs come through with almost 90% efficacy and 100% protection for death,” said Dr Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer, in an interview.
Study participants were unvaccinated, with mild-to-moderate Covid-19, and were considered high risk for hospital admission due to health problems such as obesity, diabetes or heart disease.
Treatment began within three to five days of initial symptoms, and lasted for five days.
Pfizer reported few details on side effects but said rates of problems were similar between the groups at about 20%.
An independent group of medical experts monitoring the trial recommended stopping it early, standard procedure when interim results show such a clear benefit.
The data has not yet been published for outside review, the normal process for vetting new medical research.
Top US health officials continue to stress that vaccination will remain the best way to protect against infection.
But with tens of millions of adults there still unvaccinated – and many more globally – effective, easy-to-use treatments will be critical to curbing future waves of infections.
Competing Pill From Merck
The FDA has set a public meeting later this month to review Merck’s pill, known as molnupiravir.
The company reported in September that its drug cut rates of hospital admission and death by 50%.
Experts warn against comparing preliminary results because of differences in studies.
Although Merck’s pill is further along in the US regulatory process, Pfizer’s drug could benefit from a safety profile that is more familiar to regulators with fewer red flags.
While pregnant women were excluded from the Merck trial due to a potential risk of birth defects, Pfizer’s drug did not have any similar restrictions.
The Merck drug works by interfering with the coronavirus’s genetic code, a novel approach to disrupting the virus.
Pfizer’s drug is part of a decades-old family of antiviral drugs known as protease inhibitors, which revolutionised the treatment of HIV and hepatitis C.
The drugs block a key enzyme which viruses need to multiply in the human body.
The drug, which has not yet been named, was first identified during the Sars outbreak originating in Asia during 2003.
Last year, company researchers decided to revive the medication and study it for Covid-19, given the similarities between the two coronaviruses.
The US has approved one other antiviral drug for Covid-19, remdesivir, and authorised three antibody therapies that help the immune system fight the virus.
But they have to be given by IV or injection at hospitals or clinics, and limited supplies were strained by the last surge of the Delta variant.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I was at a blindboy gig last Friday in naas and colm O’Gorman pretty much said on the topic of vulture funds that we can legislate for this. We don’t need a referendum. We just need to give our (landlord) politicians as much hassle as we can until they listen and legislate to halt vulture funds buying up housing
@ChuckE: pretty much single decision maker and td here is a property owner. They don’t have to be a landlord to want rising prices !
@Shane Murphy: TDs should be forced to sell all investments, at market rate with tax exemption, prior to taking the role. The role is well paid and has a pension. If they want to make further investments they can do so when they relinquish the role.
Fairly simple.
@Mushy Peas: They would just transfer to family members.
People saying well move 2-3 hours outside whats the big deal. Big deal is why should they have to move outside? These people work in Dublin, their siblings their parents their kids are born there, their network is in Dublin. Why spend 6 hours a day travelling to and from work. Any working citizen should be able to afford to live in our capital city. Because it’s possible to commute huge distances doesn’t mean it should be normal. From studios to penthouses, all budgets and needs should be catered for. At least in German cities there are places for top dollar for those who want, and then also places as low as 300-400 for those who can only afford that. And thats just the private German market, they have massive amounts of social housing too. Now we have a situation in Dublin where the dingiest dirtiest 1 room kip is renting for 1600 pm, with furniture pulled from a skip in the 80s. Not right at all.
@TimBuck2: no one has addressed the fact that the writer only needs a single bedroom unit, and like every other millennial working couple, they are looking for a three bedroom house, pushing up the competition with those with 2+ kids for “future potential bigger family”. if they want the German model don’t ever put aside savings and be happy to splash out now on a luxury 1 bed in the city, and get used to higher rent for when you need to upgrade.
@TimBuck2: no one mentioned a 6 hour commute. You can find a new build, 2 bed in kilcock going for 275k at present. 45mins on train to Connolly. Can’t go wrong with that.
@TimBuck2: Limerick and Galway are 2-3 hours away, maybe a bit of an exaggeration? The problem as well as housing is insufficient transport infrastructure, if you could get to you family in 20 minutes that would be plenty close enough? Well if transport was sorted out all the surrounding counties would be options. In a free-market (lol!) capitalist society you cant expect preferential treatment, you just wont get it. Unless you’re rich or to a certain extent poor.
@TimBuck2: sorry to disappoint you but not everyone who wants to love in Dublin is going to be able to there aren’t infinite amounts of space. And Dublin is no different to any other capital city, if you want to live near a capital city you are going to pay a premium for doing so.
@Renton Burke: only needs a single bedroom unit?? Did you miss the part where he said he was paying crèche fees?
@Renton Burke: Ignoring the fact that this couple have kids and you obviously did’t read the article. Do you think that young people should lock themselves down in 30+ year mortgages and spend obscene amounts for a one-bed shoebox which will pretty much guarantee they’ll never have room for children? These couples aren’t 20 the average homebuyer in Ireland is in their 30s how long do you think they feasibly have if they want to start a family? They’re thinking long-term and besides the idea of a starter home needs to die, especially when most millennials can’t afford a home. Period.
@TimBuck2:
Since the year dot there has been a premium placed on more desirable properties. This applies at every level, whether it’s the most desirable property in the street, the most desirable street in the neighbourhood, the most desirable neighbourhood in the city or the most desirable city in the country.
Like it or not we live in a system where supply and demand is king, and you’ll always be competing against someone else’s money for a desirable resource.
Government could certainly do more to legislate though.
Plenty of new builds for sale outside of Dublin that are within your price range.
@Simon McGrath: Shut up.
@Dr. X (Official Continuity Faction): Why should he? He is, in my opinion, pointing out a valid option. You on the other hand, have nothing more intelligent to say than “shut up”. I’d love to have a 3 bed gaff in Dublin 4, or even Dublin 12 for that matter, but I don’t. Instead of writing articles moaning about it, I made do with a commuter town. I’ve had to alter my hours and make a few lifestyle changes, but I’m taking the positives out of it, and maybe in 10 years I will have the money to move to Dublin 12.
@Mick paisley: likewise Mick. As much as I would have preferred to live in Dublin my budget and other factors dictated where I bought in the end. Such is life I’m afraid. I have no complaints about this decision.
@Mick paisley: Or we may all get the transport options we deserve and you can be there in 30 minutes.
@Dr. X (Official Continuity Faction): That was a fairly comprehensive argument fair play.
@thesaltyurchin: why don’t people fight for better transport then rather than housing in Dublin?
@Sam Harms: It would make more sense. If everyone that wanted to live in Dublin could afford it, there would be a huge shortage of houses. Maybe 100k or more people moving back from kildare, Louth, Meath, Wicklow and further. Dublin couldn’t cope. Go to the new estates in these counties, and the majority aren’t from the area, they are there because its were they can afford. Ironically this pushes the locals further down the country in a lot of situations.
@Sam Harms: there is colossal amount of land in Dublin. There are bloody farms within the m50 for god sake. Dublin port could be used for housing. Have you ever flown into Dublin ? This nonsense about a lack of land is comedy. !
A simple solution would be to allow the planners to grant planning permission with a stipulation that the properties can only be sold to owner occupiers. London has this.
We can introduce laws overnight to halt the rise of Airbnb so why not introduce these planning clauses here. ???
It’s absolutely disgusting. Turn the most basic human need, into a cash machine. People will slash all other expenditure to pay for a roof over their head , including food. They wish to create a society of renters they can control and extort their entire life. Fg claiming they represent the working man is an insult!
Just be sure to keep voting ffg because ah sure “they’re are no alternatives”
@Sarah: what is your alternative?
@Barry Somers: the only party that stands a chance realistically is SF. Do I agree with everything they say? Of course not. But continuing to vote ad nauseum for FF/FG in a never ending cycle will continue this open contempt they appear to have for the average Irish citizen, they will continue to push policies that benefit no one but an elite cohort because sure the sheeple will always continue to vote for them, as if by divine decree they have an inherit right to be in power. I think the greatest damn trick FG and the Irish Media have pulled in the last decade is convincing the Irish people that “things could get worse” and “there are no alternatives” so keep voting for more of the same..
No doubt FFG will be opposed… Most sold already anyways..
@Willy: Of course they will oppose the mess they created…..No money for their mates to make if every family actually owns their home….
@Humphrey Harold Haddington: Best of luck buying a home when you’re competing with big American corporations as a result of FFG laws brought in.
Why not buy a large house in Mullingar. Just an hour by train from Connolly Station. At your budget you will a have huge selection of properties to purchase.
Best of luck.
@James Rhatigan:
A client just bought a 3 bed semi in a town less than 50 mins on the train from heuston (population about 10,000) for €140k
@James Rhatigan: commuting from down the country though, you have to also factor in the time to get to the station. Then depending n where you work in the city maybe another 30 minutes to get to your job. Plus of course factor in any extra time required due to delays and/or cancellations. And then do it all again in the evening.
Some people like the idea of actually having time to spend in their new home rather than commuting.
@Kendra Jackson: but they have no problem comparing East Germany (or Berlin, where you would not be able to buy a 3 bed semi for anywhere as low as the current stock in D12/D16) or else renting a shoebox in a bleak tower for those low prices. everyone is so blinkered by anti FFG rhetoric, they don’t get that to get “affordable living” in a 2 bed box, and reduce the pressure on 3 bed semis in the suburbs, we need vultures to flood the market with cheap apartment blocks. this article is just a moan with no viable solution.
@Kendra Jackson: Drogheda, Newbridge and Wicklow Town are all an hour from Dublin on the train. The number 16 bus from Rathfarnham into Town takes about 45 mins on a good day, over an hour on a bad day.
@Kendra Jackson: they do it in every country though. Why should Ireland be any different? Why does everyone HAVE to live in Dublin? Are Irish people too good to commute or something?
The problem is the asking price advertised is false , you can put another 20-100k on top of it if the demand is high for that property . There is no transparency in the bidding, you just have to take the estate agents word for it that you have been outbid . The whole system is broken and has been since around 2001-2002. Unfortunately I cannot see anything improving until Ireland is prepared to revolt.
@Stoneybroke: that the purpose of it – it’s trying to get the absolute maximum for the person selling, not to do a favour for the buyer! just remember that for every purchase there is a seller, and they are usually people who want to cash in.
One big piece of information missing in the Dublin v Berlin agrument. Irish take home pay is higher because of lower taxation. Also if you compare how much the average family (2 children) in Ireland receives in children’s allowance etc. then the differential with a German family’s income is even bigger.
@John Horan: I have German family and friends in Hamburg and Berlin and even some in Luxembourg. Do you know what they’ve NEVER said that? “Gosh it’s so much cheaper here! Cost if living and take home pay really make life easier” what they DO say is “Jesus Christ, WHY is everything do expensive here! How do you afford it?”
@John Horan: their transport system is amazing and affordable. No need to own a car there. One or two Berlin sized apartment blocks would probably solve the housing crisis in this city. They are huge not high rise. We have muppets running the place.
@Anne: the ballymun experiment fecked that up. we made the mistake of infrastructure less blocks before, and there is zero chance of our politicians risking infrastructure when we don’t know what developers will build.
@Renton Burke: Ballymun failed because it was all social housing, Not because it was high rise.
@Rob Cahill: now they’re doing the same thing in St Michael’s Estate, 500 units with no amenities whatsoever. It’s a slum, just a shiny new one and by the time it all goes belly up in 20 years our beloved leaders will be long retired with multiple pensions. 100 years of FFG rule has brought us to this. The indepents have shown their true colours. Maybe, as one previous poster said, its time to vote Sinn Fein and see if there is an alternative as we can’t get any worse than we are now.
@Sarah: Sorry Sarah…I think you actually need to read the comment. To paraphrase myself…yes Ireland is more expensive….but our take home pay is so much higher than in Berlin, especially when you consider the added benefits of the benefits of the welfare payments families in Ireland receive. I would very happily pay 3k in rent if I earned 6k, much better than paying 2k and earning 4k. The article does not compare apples with apples. Another example…Singapore I paid rent there of 7k EUR per month, but I was earning 15k. Would you complain in that case?
New homes in Kells Co Meath ,one hour from O’Connell Street on the 109x from 230k .
The book is even moving ack from trinity.
As a person who was born and bred in the north inner city Dublin. My city has lost all its character and Old architecture. You can keep the new Dublin for me. I hate what it’s become. I am off as soon as I possibly can. Do not buy a house in Dublin. Go to the west coast and see what you can get there for your money. At least the country people still have some resemblance of what Ireland is. Dublin is more like London than it has ever been in the past.
@sean slipper: Much like every capital city in the world, we were just a little late to the party.
Our idiot FFG politicians bankrupting the country, passing the state debt onto the people, then encouraging the vulture funds to come in to buy all the property to keep the country afloat, exacerbating the problem. Its just a continuous shambolic trend of our govs effing up, then taking action which is sacrificing the public to save themselves. Then its vote for us again in the next election. Seriously how much longer can we take of these FFG idiots effectively raping the people of their resources to save themselves while making themselves multimillionaires in the process.
I went for Naas, much more affordable than Dublin and quite a pleasant place to live.
Plenty of houses for sale less than 400,000, the couples budget, Drimnagh, Inchicore, Crumlin!
I have a house for sale in Dublin 12 for 300k. It did me for 20 years. I’m only moving as I need more bedrooms.
23 Bunting Road.
Check out this property I found using Daft: https://www.daft.ie/12074830
@Derek Kearney: Unfortunately, a man like Brian Connolly and his wife wouldn’t live in gaff like that. Brian wants plush surroundings, a house with a certain wow factor, he wants somewhere where his work is right at his doorstep, everything at this beck and call, ultimately what Brian wants is a place where his massive ego can fit in the doorstep.
@Derek Kearney:
Best of luck with that.
@Seamus Hanratty: dead right
Conflict of interest does not apply for these criminals called politicians. They are all in the same boat
You can buy a lovely house in Portlaoise 3 bed €180k 4 bed €200k aprox. Why do business’s continue to provide jobs where there is no affordable housing. And end up having to pay higher wages or suffer a high staff turnover.
I have a house for sale in Dublin 12 for 299k in near perfect condition. It did me for 20 years. I’m am only moving as I need more bedrooms:
Check out this property I found using Daft:
23 Bunting Road, Dublin 12
https://www.daft.ie/12074830
@Derek Kearney: Fair price, good luck with the sale.
Does anyone know why the Capital Dock development got the exemption for social housing. Will Montrose get a similar exemption or Eglinton Road? I thought the social housing % was set in stone.
This article reads like a similar scenario for many people circa 2002 to 2006. No matter how difficult this may be, do not buy property that has been artificially inflated to levels that we are now at. Everybody follows the trend, until the bend at the end! (Bend coming in 3 years)
The state needs to take control of this basic citizens right to a home, not necessarily to own one, by directly providing a significant proportion of homes at cost, on state land, by CPO if necessary.
Significant should be 25% for 20 years, until the public housing stock is restored to that level, & the private market is cooled down for those above the income levels for public housing.
It has been done very well by this state when resources were much scarcer, it’s just a matter of voting in the people who will redirect priorities to that end. Note that for the local elections.
Keep the foreign offshored funds out by forcing the state to buy the Cairns & similar developments.
If billions can be spent on one hospital, & on interminable public enquiries, then billions can be spent on homes.
I inquired for the new Grand Canal apartments. Starting is 500,000 for a one bed.
have your say