Pfizer Announces Large-Scale Clinical Trial for Coronavirus Pill, to test its ability to prophylactically reduce the risk of infection in the environment of a person infected with the disease.
Several companies, such as Merck and Roche, working on drugs of this type, called antiretrovirals. These work by preventing the virus from reproducing. Their application can be dual: to allow people already infected with the disease not to suffer from severe symptoms, but also in people who came in close contact not to develop the disease.
In case of final results, “We believe that this treatment can help stop the virus very early — before it can be widely reproduced — potentially preventing symptomatic cases of the disease in those exposed and stopping the onset of infection in others”, said in a statement Michael Dolsten, the scientific director of Pfizer.
This approach is “complementary” of vaccines against Covid, he added.
This treatment, called PF-07321332, developed in the form of a pill taken orally with a glass of water.
In the clinical trial phase 2/3 announced today will be attended by more than 2.600 age volunteers 18 years and older. Some will take the pill, administered twice daily for 5 to 10 days, and others will take placebo.
The drug has already been tested in dozens of people to prove that it is not dangerous to health.
Two more clinical trials are also underway this summer with thousands of participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the product in people already infected with Covid-19., one for those at high risk of developing a severe form of the disease, the other for low risks.
For all people who have already been infected, this drug will be mainly effective in the first days of infection, before the virus has already reproduced to a large extent.
Pfizer treatment, unlike its competitors, has not been adjusted by another drug but has been developed specifically against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
It will however be administered in combination with a “small dose” ritonavir, drug used against the AIDS virus.
With information from ΑΠΕ – BPE
