International: Pfizer Inc. expects its news experimental COVID-19 antiviral drug Paxlovid to be effective against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla says on Monday that he is confident that this drug works for all known mutations, including the Omicron variant.

Pfizer oral treatment was designed to counter different mutations of the coronavirus. This was the claim of its CEO Albert Bourla. He says, “It was designed with the fact that most mutations are coming in the spikes or the mechanism of action we are having is not related with the spike. So, that gives me very, very high level of confidence that treatment will not be affected, the oral treatment will not be affected by this virus. When it comes to the vaccine, that remains to be seen. I don't think that the result will be the vaccines don't protect. I think the results could be, which we don't know yet, that the vaccines protect less, which means that if the vaccines protect less, it is that we need to create a new vaccine.”

He has added that they already made their first DNA template, which is the first part of the manufacturing of the development process of a new vaccine, and they have made multiple times clear that they will be able to have a vaccine in less than 100 days.

Bourla has added that they have already two vaccines built in less than a hundred days. He stresses, “We built one for Delta, but we decided not to use because the current vaccine is very effective against Delta and we built one for Beta, which also we didn't have to use. So, we would be one at risk right now for Omicron that would be used only in case we need it if we see that the current one doesn't work." He also says that they are working on follow up drugs for the eventual case that maybe a resistance is developed.