Pfizer revealed Wednesday that it gave its first dose to a patient participating in its phase 2/3 clinical trial examining the effectiveness of an orally administered drug designed to combat COVID-19.
CEO Albert Bourla wrote Wednesday night Twitter that “success against COVID19 will likely require both vaccines [and] treatments “and said the pharmaceutical giant initiated a” phase 2/3 study of our oral antiviral candidate, designed specifically to combat SARS-CoV-2, in outpatients and low-risk adults. “
The drug, called PF-07321332, is designed for COVID-19 patients who have not been hospitalized, but who have symptoms of the virus and have a low risk of seeing how it progresses to becoming a serious disease.
According to a Pfizer press release (pdf), the randomized, double-blind trial will enroll about 1,140 participants, who will orally get PF-07321332 or a placebo every 12 hours for five days.
“Protease inhibitors, such as PF-07321332, are designed to block the activity of the major protease enzyme that the coronavirus needs to replicate,” the statement said. “Co-administration with a low dose of ritonavir is expected to help slow the metabolism or degradation of PF-07321332 so that it remains in the body for longer periods of time at higher concentrations, working continuously to help fight the virus. “
Currently, the only three COVID-19 drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are vaccines developed by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
Earlier this week, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said vaccine effectiveness in keeping people out of the hospital has waned. In an update, the agency said that against the Delta variant, the effectiveness of vaccines to keep people out of the hospital was between 75 and 95% in July, a drop from 97%. of June.
It comes when the American Medical Association (AMA) called for an “immediate end” to the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19, and for doctors to stop prescribing it after the podcast host and the comedian Joe Rogan confirmed that he took the drug in combination with other drugs to treat COVID-19.
“We are alarmed by reports that the prescription and dispensing of ivermectin by outpatients has increased 24 times since before the pandemic and has increased exponentially over the past few months,” the AMA said Thursday.
Some conventional media have labeled Ivermectin as a “horse dewormer,” but the drug has been used for decades to treat river blindness and intestinal worm infection in humans. Throughout the pandemic, some doctors have prescribed it for COVID-19 and several Indian states authorized the use of the drug to treat the virus earlier this year.
Variations of the drug are given to pets and livestock, and federal officials have warned people not to take animal ivermectin for COVID-19, saying it could lead to hospitalization or even death. In veterinary medicine, the drug is designed to prevent and treat the heart worm.
COVID-19 is the disease caused by the PCC (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
Jack Phillips
Senior Reporter
Jack Phillips is a journalist at The Epoch Times based in New York.