Pfizer’s coronavirus pill could be ready before year-end

American pharmaceutical company Pfizer is conducting a clinical trial to achieve a pill effective against coronavirus. The company, which has already launched a vaccine that generates antibodies against Covid-19, may have an option available to treat it before 2022.

According to the British Tuesday newspaper The telegraph, 60 people, aged 18 to 60, participate in the clinical study in Belgium and the United States.

“Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic requires both vaccine prevention and targeted treatment those who contract the virus. Considering how SARS-CoV-2 mutates and the continued global impact of COVID-19, it seems essential to have access to treatment options both now and beyond the pandemic, ”he said Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer and President of Research, Development and Global Medicine at Pfizer in a statement released by the company a month ago.

Asked about the deadlines, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company, Albert Bourla, he assured in dialogue with CBNC it could be available by the end of the year.

According to information provided by the company, the pill has two advantages: What could be prescribed at the first symptom and that treatment can be taken away without the need for hospitalization of the patient.

The candidate for oral antiviral (PF-07321332) acts as a protease inhibitor of SARS-CoV2-3CL, which in laboratory studies has shown a potent efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and against other coronaviruses. Its characteristics mean that in addition to being effective against Covid-19, this could be against new variants.

The effect of these inhibitors make the virus incapable of replicating itself in the cell. They showed their efficiency in treatments against other pathogens such as HIV and the Hepatitis C, alone or in combination with other antivirals.

Another advantage of this type of treatment is that they are generally well tolerated by patients, as they generally do not generate toxicity.

According to what is stated by The telegraph, the phase 1 of the clinical trial focused its study on how the treatment is tolerated, as the dose is increased, alone or in combination with ritonavir. It is evaluated if there is Side effects important things and how people feel after taking it.

Ritonavir is an antiviral used to treat HIV, and its role in combination with the drug being tested is to increase the amount of protease inhibitors in the blood of volunteers.

Meanwhile, according to British media, in the phase 2 the administration of “multiple doses”. While in the third step the administration in pill and liquid form, and its possible interaction with food intake.

Pfizer states that the trials will last 145 days. Then 28 more will be added to deepen the “detection and dosage” of the drug.

THE NATION