Pfizer Has Begun an Early Stage Clinical Trial for an Oral COVID-19 Drug
Pfizer on Tuesday said it has begun early-stage U.S. clinical trials of an investigational, oral antiviral drug for COVID-19.
According to the company, the candidate “has demonstrated potent in vitro antiviral activity” against the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as activity against other coronaviruses, suggesting the potential for use to address future threats.
The candidate is a class of drug known as a protease inhibitor, which has been long used to treat HIV and hepatitis C. The drugs work by blocking a critical enzyme, a protease, that the virus needs to replicate.
“Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic requires both preventions via vaccine and targeted treatment for those who contract the virus. 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,” Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer, said in a statement.
