COVID-19: Pfizer says oral drug to treat virus could be available by 2021 end

New York-based Pharmaceutical Pfizer Inc., on April 27, said that an oral drug for treating COVID-19 could be available by end of 2021, highlighting that it was currently working on two anti-viral drugs- one injectable, another oral. Company CEO Albert Bourla, speaking to CNBC explained that the firm’s attention was on the oral as it had several advantages over the one that was injectable. He stressed that one significant advantage of the oral drug was its availability and usage at home as compared to the injectionable, which could only be given in hospital settings.  

Bourla stressed that if “all goes well”, the research continues at the “same speed” and if regulators “do the same”, the coronavirus drugs could be available by the end of this year. At present, the only oral anti-viral approved for treating coronavirus is Gilead Sciences’ Remdesivir, which is also facing a shortage due to its sudden increased demand.

More effective against mutants

However, Bourla said that Pfizer’s upcoming drugs would be more “way more effective” against coronavirus variants than the currently available anti-virals.  He added that the mechanism of action, of the antiviral, is not expected to be subject to mutations, "particularly because it's not acting on the spike, as we all know, all the mutations that we are hearing right now are seeing this in the proteins of the spike."

Last month, Pfizer Inc. announced that it has started early-stage clinical trials of an "investigational, oral antiviral drug for Covid-19." According to reports in the US media, the company discovered that this new candidate has shown "potent in vitro antiviral activity" against the virus that causes Covid-19, as well as the activity against coronaviruses.

Pfizer's chief scientific officer Mikael Dolsten said "Prevention using vaccines and targeted treatment for those who contract Covid-19, both are necessary to tackle the ongoing pandemic. Looking at the mutating SARS Cov-2 its continued global impact, it appears likely that it will be critical to have access to therapeutic options both now and beyond the coronavirus pandemic."

Image Credits: Pixabay/Pfizer/Twitter