PfizerAlbert Bourla, CEO of Covid-19 said Monday that the pill will be effective in fighting the Omicron virus.

Bourla stated that the good news about our treatment is that it was created with this in mind. “CNBC’s SquawkBox” featured Bourla. This gives me a high degree of confidence in the fact that our oral treatment won’t be affected by this virus.

Pfizer submitted its applicationPaxlovid was approved by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month for emergency use. Pfizer’s clinical trials with people aged 18 or over found that the pill can reduce hospitalization and death rates by 89% when used in conjunction with HIV drugs. The trial was conducted within three days.

It blocks the ability of HIV to reproduce. Combining it with HIV drug Ritonavir slows down the metabolism, allowing the Paxlovid in the body to stay active longer and at higher levels to fight the virus.

Bourla stated to CNBC that Pfizer expects to produce 80 million pills per year, up from its original goal of 50 million. Already the Biden administration has bought 10 million courses of PaxlovidA $5 billion deal.

In a technical paper, the World Health Organization warned Sunday that Omicron is a risky global disease with high potential for further transmission. There are more than 30 mutations in the spike protein, which binds with human cells. According to WHO, some mutations can lead to higher transmission or decreased antibody protection.

Bourla expressed optimism about Paxlovid’s efficacy, but he stated that the effects of Omicron on Paxlovid’s two-dose vaccine remain to be determined.

Bourla stated that he doesn’t believe vaccines won’t be protected. “It could turn out that, although we do not know the exact result, vaccines may protect less,” Bourla said.

Bourla stated that Pfizer is already working to develop a new vaccine, if needed. He said that Friday was the company’s first attempt to develop a DNA template.

Bourla stated that it was clear multiple times that vaccines could be created in 100 days or less. Bourla noted that vaccines were created quickly by the company for beta and delta versions. However, they weren’t needed because the original shots were still effective.