Pfizer said Tuesday that it has begun an early-stage clinical trial of an experimental oral antiviral drug for Covid-19.
The New York-based company said the phase 1 study of the drug – called PF-07321332 – is taking place in the United States. The drug is part of a class of drugs called protease inhibitors and works by inhibiting an enzyme that the virus must replicate in human cells.
Protease inhibitors are used to treat other viral pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis C.
“Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic requires both vaccine prevention and specific treatment for those who contract the virus,” Pfizer chief scientific officer Mikael Dolsten said in a press release. Given how SARS-CoV-2 is moving and the continuing global impact of COVID-19, it seems likely that it will be essential to have access to therapeutic options both now and beyond the pandemic.
The process comes as Pfizer also works on an intravenous protease inhibitor known as PF-07304814. This drug is currently in a phase 1b clinical study in patients hospitalized with Covid-19.
A person walks past the Pfizer building in New York, March 2, 2021.
Carlo Allegri | Reuters
Pfizer already has a vaccine licensed in the United States with German doctor BioNTech, but health experts say the world will still need a series of drugs and vaccines to end the pandemic, which has infected more than 29.8 million Americans. killed at least 542,991 in just over a year, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The company said preclinical studies have shown that the oral drug, the first orally administered protease inhibitor for Covid-19 to be evaluated in clinical trials, demonstrates “strong” antiviral activity against the virus.
Because it is administered orally, the medicine could be used outside hospitals for people who are newly infected with the virus. Researchers hope the drug will prevent the disease from progressing and keep people out of the hospital.
Pfizer said it would provide more details about the drug at its April 6 Spring American Chemical Society meeting.