Pfizer filed an application for emergency use authorization for its experimental antiviral pill against the coronavirus with the US Food and Drug Administration. In clinical trials the oral drug, called Paxlovid, cut the chance of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of getting a severe case of the virus by 89%. It is not known how long it will take for USFDA regulators to rule on the application. Pfizer also has requested emergency use authorization in several other countries, including authorization of the treatment in several countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. It will manufacture some 50 million courses of the drug by the end of 2022.