Pfizer begins study of oral drug for COVID-19 prevention

Sept. 27 (Reuters) – Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) announced Monday that it has launched an intermediate to advanced study testing its investigational oral antiviral drug for the prevention of COVID-19 infection among those who have been exposed to the virus .

The company and its rivals, including U.S.-based Merck & Co Inc (MRK.N) and Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG (ROG.S), have been battling to develop the first antiviral pill for COVID-19.

Pfizer said it will study the drug, PF-07321332, in up to 2,660 healthy adult participants aged 18 and older who live in the same household as an individual with confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 infection .

The trial would test PF-07321332 with a low dose of ritonavir, an older drug widely used in combination treatments for HIV infection.

Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said earlier this month that they had started enrolling patients in an advanced trial of their investigational drug molnupiravir for the prevention of COVID-19 infection. Read more

Pfizer also said earlier this month that it had started an intermediate to late-stage trial of PF-07321332 for the treatment of COVID-19 in symptomatic outpatient adult patients.

Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla and Amruta Khandekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri

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