Like other viruses, the fight against COVID-19 continues to suffer from a lack of viable treatments: available vaccines are very effective in stopping cases of contagion among the population, but serious infections continue to kill many people. across our planet . It is time to prevent, because once infected, most therapies simply involve keeping the patient oxygenated and stable until their immune system can fight the virus within their body.
A treatment for infection
Pharmaceutical Pfizer is therefore testing the first pill specifically designed to stop SARS-CoV-2. If the test is successful, we may be able to have a coronavirus pill by the end of this year, according to the company.
The company, which developed the first licensed COVID-19 vaccine in the US with German drugmaker BioNTech, began an early-stage clinical trial testing a new antiviral therapy for the disease in March . The drug is part of a class of drugs called protease inhibitors and works by inhibiting an enzyme that the virus needs to replicate in human cells. Protease inhibitors are used to treat other viral pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis C.
“Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic requires both vaccine prevention and targeted treatment for those who contract the virus. Given the way SARS-CoV-2 is mutating and the continuing global impact of COVID-19, it seems likely that access to therapeutic options both now and beyond the pandemic is critical, ”commented Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer and President of Research, Development and Global Medicine at Pfizer, in a statement when the clinical trial that is currently underway in phase 1 began in Brussels, Belgium.
Health experts say the drug, taken by mouth, could be a game changer in this pandemic, because people newly infected with the virus could use it outside of hospitals. The researchers hope that the drug will prevent the disease from progressing and avoid transfers to the hospital, most of which have collapsed due to the volume of cases, especially considering that variants continue to appear, each more virulent . In addition, it would not only help us move towards a return to normality in the West, but it would also be of great help in less developed countries where vaccines are arriving later and to a lesser extent than in other countries.
According to the company, the findings suggest a potential for use in treating COVID-19, as well as addressing future coronavirus threats. It would be the first oral antiviral treatment of its kind in the world for coronavirus.
In addition to the drug, earlier this month, the company asked the FDA to expand its vaccine authorization to teens ages 12 to 15 after the injection was found to be 100% effective in a study.
