Pfizer tests oral drug that could prevent Covid Infection

New Delhi, Sep 28: Vaccine maker Pfizer is testing an oral antiviral drug that would help prevent COVID-19.

Pfizer tested drug, PF-07321332, in up to 2,660 healthy adult participants aged 18 and older who live in the same household as an individual with a confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

PF-07321332, is believed to block the activity of a key enzyme needed for the coronavirus to multiply, will be administered along with a low dose of ritonavir, an older medication widely used in combination treatments for HIV infection.

"With the continued impact of COVID-19 around the world, we believe that tackling the virus will require effective treatments for people who contract, or have been exposed to, the virus, complementing the impact that vaccines have had in helping quell infections. If successful, we believe this therapy could help stop the virus early - before it has had a chance to replicate extensively - potentially preventing symptomatic disease in those who have been exposed and inhibiting the onset of infection in others," said Mikael Dolsten, MD, PhD., Chief Scientific Officer and President, Worldwide Research, Development and Medical of Pfizer.

"Given the continued emergence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants and their immense impact, we continue to work diligently to develop and study new ways that our investigational oral antiviral candidate could potentially lower the impact of COVID-19, not only on patients' lives, but also the lives of their families and household members."

The Phase 2/3 EPIC-PEP trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study and will enroll up to 2,660 healthy adult participants aged 18 and older.

Participants will be randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive PF-07321332/ritonavir or placebo orally twice daily for 5 or 10 days.

The primary objective will assess safety and efficacy for the prevention of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and its symptoms through Day 14.

PF-07321332 is an oral antiviral SARS-CoV-2-3CL protease inhibitor, which has an encouraging pre-clinical profile, including potent in vitro antiviral SARS-CoV-2 and broad coronavirus activity.
Results from the Phase 1 clinical trial demonstrated that PF-07321332 was safe and well tolerated.