Nearly Half of Unvaccinated Americans Say They Wouldn't Take Pfizer's COVID Pill: Poll

A new poll found unvaccinated Americans were much less likely to say they would take Pfizer's COVID-19 treatment pill than those who have been vaccinated.

The survey by the health website Stat and the Harris Poll reported that 48 percent of unvaccinated respondents said they would be "not at all" or "very unlikely" to take Pfizer's pill if a health professional prescribed it to them.

But vaccinated people were much more open to taking the pill, according to the poll. Ninety-one percent of vaccinated respondents said they would be "very" or "somewhat" likely to take the pill if a health professional prescribed it.

The poll of American adults found that 52 percent of all respondents said they had read "a lot" or "a little bit" about Pfizer's Paxlovid tablet, which was given authorization for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 22. However, 48 percent reported they had read "nothing at all" or "not too much" about the medicine.

Of those who said they were familiar with the pill, 84 percent of all respondents said they believe the treatment will be "very" or "somewhat" effective in managing the pandemic. Among the vaccinated respondents who were familiar with the pill, 90 percent said they thought it would help in the fight against the pandemic, compared with 56 percent of unvaccinated people who had heard of the pill and also felt it would be effective in managing the health crisis.

Twenty-three percent of those who are vaccinated and are familiar with Pfizer's treatment incorrectly believe the pill will reduce the need for vaccines and boosters, according to the poll. Forty percent of unvaccinated respondents familiar with the pill also wrongly believe the same.

Paxlovid was the first antiviral COVID-19 pill to be authorized by the FDA for infected people to take at home. High-risk individuals 12 and older who weigh at least 88 pounds and have tested positive for the virus are eligible to take the pill, but they must have a doctor's prescription.

Data from a clinical trial showed that Paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by 88 percent, compared with a placebo, among patients who take the medicine within five days of experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

A day after the FDA approved the Pfizer pill, it also authorized Merck/Ridgeback Biotherapeutics' antiviral pill, molnupiravir, to treat COVID-19, with similar restrictions. However, Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said molnupiravir should be used only in "situations where other FDA-authorized treatments for COVID-19 are inaccessible or are not clinically appropriate."

Stat reported the Harris Poll survey was conducted before the FDA authorized the Merck/Ridgeback Biotherapeutics pill.