Several companies are working on possible oral antiviral drugs that will mimic the effects of the flu drug Tamiflu and prevent the disease from progressing to serious illness.
“We believe that fighting the virus will require effective treatments for people who have contracted or been exposed to the virus, which complements the impact that vaccines have,” said Mikael Dolsten, head of research at the company.
Pfizer began developing this drug, dubbed PF-07321332, in March 2020 and is evaluating it in combination with ritonavir, which is already being used against the AIDS virus.
The clinical trial will involve 2,600 adults who will participate in the trials as soon as they show signs of COVID-19 infection or as soon as they know they have been exposed to the virus: they will randomly receive a combination of PF-07321332 and ritonavir. or a placebo twice a day for five to ten days.
The aim of the study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of drugs in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of symptoms by 14 days after infection.
The drug is known as a “protease inhibitor” and has been shown in laboratory tests to interrupt the effect of viral replication.
If it works in real life, it can only be effective in the early stages of infection. Once the covid becomes serious, the virus basically stops multiplying and patients suffer from an overactive immune response.
