Pfizer has started a US-based clinical trial examining the safety and tolerability of an oral therapeutic antiviral against the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, the company announced on Tuesday.
The so-called “protease inhibitor” candidate works by preventing the virus from replicating. If the virus cannot replicate, it will no longer be able to infect the host. Laboratory studies indicated that the candidate was potent against SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, Pfizer said.
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“Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic requires vaccine prevention and targeted treatment for those who contract the virus. Given the way SARS-CoV-2 is mutating and the continued global impact of COVID-19, it seems likely that this happens fundamentally to have access to therapeutic options now and beyond the pandemic, “said Dr. Mikael Dolsten, PhD., scientific director and president of research, development and world medicine at Pfizer, in the statement published on Tuesday.
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Dolsten explained that the therapy could be “prescribed at the first sign of infection” for patients without the need for hospital care. Meanwhile, a protease inhibitor administered intravenously is in a Phase 1b trial to serve as an option for hospitalized patients.
“Together, the two have the potential to create an end-to-end treatment paradigm that complements vaccination in cases where the disease still occurs,” wrote Dolsten.
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Pfizer plans to share more data during a Spring American Chemical Society meeting on April 6.