Pfizer begins application for Canada's approval of COVID-19 pill

Pfizer Inc said it had started the real-time submission of its application seeking Health Canada's approval of its oral COVID-19 antiviral drug candidate. The pill, PF-07321332, is designed to block a key enzyme needed for the coronavirus to multiply. The move comes after the Canadian government announced that it was in advanced talks with Pfizer and Merck & Co Inc regarding a purchase agreement for their COVID-19 antiviral drugs, as the country attempts to control the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.