Drug producer Pfizer declared Tuesday that it had started testing an oral COVID-19 treatment. The antiviral treatment would be the first of its sort in the battle against Covid.
The Phase 1 study will be tested on healthy American grown-ups “to evaluate the safety and tolerability of an investigational, novel oral antiviral therapeutic” for the virus that causes COVID-19, the organization said in a press release.
The organization is additionally testing an intravenous antiviral to treat COVID-19.
Authorities disclosed to FOX 8 the prescription would come in pill form. The treatment depends on protease inhibitors, the technology that is additionally used to treat HIV and hepatitis C. Protease inhibitors work by restricting to a viral enzyme, called a protease, and keeping the virus from reproducing within the cell.
The treatments would be taken at the first sign of infection and would not need that patients be hospitalized or in basic consideration.
“Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic requires both prevention via vaccine and targeted treatment for those who contract the virus,” said Mikael Dolsten, MD, PhD., Chief Scientific Officer and President, Worldwide Research, Development and Medical of Pfizer, in a statement. “Given the way that SARS-CoV-2 is mutating and the continued global impact of COVID-19, it appears likely that it will be critical to have access to therapeutic options both now and beyond the pandemic.”
The drug has shown “potent antiviral activity” against the Covid, Pfizer reports.
The organization additionally shared that on the grounds that the drug is taken orally it very well may be utilized outside of the hospital setting and given to individuals who were recently contaminated with COVID-19.
Analysts trust the drug will help forestall Covid patients from waiting to be hospitalized.
“We have designed PF-07321332 as a potential oral therapy that could be prescribed at the first sign of infection, without requiring that patients are hospitalized or in critical care” Dolsten said.
Pfizer is relied upon to deliver more data on the medication one month from now.