Pfizer and Merck announced their latest trial of an oral antiviral drug they are developing for the treatment of COVID-19. The test results are of course highly anticipated to treat potentially fatal diseases.
Pfizer said the trial would involve 1,140 non-hospitalized adults diagnosed with coronavirus infection who were not at risk of serious illness.
Patients in the trial will be given the Pfizer pill, known as PF-07321332, and low-dose ritonavir, an older drug widely used in combination treatment for HIV infection. Pfizer's drugs are designed to block the activity of a key enzyme that triggers the coronavirus to multiply.
Meanwhile, Merck said its latest trial will study the experimental drug molnupiravir for the prevention of COVID-19 among adults being treated at home, the same as someone diagnosed with a symptomatic coronavirus infection. Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics are already conducting late-stage trials of the treatment in non-hospitalized patients to see if it reduces the risk of hospitalization or death.
Molnupiravir is a type of antiviral designed to intervene errors into viral RNA which ultimately prevents the virus from replicating.
Pfizer started a different trial of PF-07321332 in July in adults with COVID-19 infection who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill due to an underlying health condition such as diabetes. They expect preliminary results from the study to come out this fall.
Pfizer and Merck's competitor, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG (ROG.S), has also made the most progress in developing a drug that will be the first antiviral pill to treat, or possibly prevent, COVID-19.
To date, Gilead Sciences Inc's (GILD.O) intravenous drug Veklury, commonly known as remdesivir, is the only antiviral treatment approved for COVID-19 in several countries.