Appearing Friday on CNBC’s Squawk Box, former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb stated that the end of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. is “in sight” after Pfizer announced that its experimental antiviral pill slashed risk of hospitalization or death from the illness by 90 percent in a trial.
A transcript is as follows:
JOE KERNEN: Do you feel that this Pfizer drug has shown better efficacy than the Merck drug, with perhaps less concern about immunogenicity or other side effects?
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: There weren’t comparative trials down. Bottom line is we have an overwhelming tool box right now to combat COVID. This is a phenomenal result. It exceeded any reasonable expectation… I think the bottom line is the end of the pandemic‚ at least as it relates to the United States, is in sight right now — given that we have the tools to combat this disease. Now, we still have to get through this Delta wave. Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to vaccinate our way out of it. These therapeutics are coming too late to affect that wave of infection. But once we get through this Delta wave of infection over the course of the next two months, I think this therapeutic and other innovations that we’ve seen coming to market really mark the end of the pandemic in the United States.