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Pfizer It is confirmed in the piece: in addition to being the first to develop an innovative vaccine with the messenger RNA technique, the American multinational pharmaceutical company has just started a phase 1 study for an anti-Covid drug to take orally.
What is it about
The news was released by the same company through a note (click here for the original document) in which it specifies that it is evaluating “the safety and tolerability of a new one drug experimental oral antiviral for Sars-Cov-2 “: the candidate is called “PF-07321332 and is”a Sars-Cov2-3CL protease inhibitor” that “demonstrated potent in vitro antiviral activity against Sars-Cov-2, as well as activity against other coronaviruses, suggesting a potential use in the treatment of Covid-19 and a potential use to address future coronavirus threats. “. Therefore, not only Covid, but it could also be effective against future pandemics.
What is protease
All viruses, including the Sars-Cov-2 that causes Covid-19 disease, have the same goal: to invade our cell, uses the internal mechanisms of our cells to make copies of itself and release the newly created virus to infect as many cells as possible. However, protease inhibitors, a class of drugs long used to treat HIV and hepatitis C, have been shown to block this process known as the “viral life cycle.” These drugs work by blocking a critical enzyme, a protease, for the virus to replicate, and the inhibitors in question have been shown to work both alone and in combination with other antivirals. Currently marketed therapies that target viral proteases are generally not associated with toxicity, and as such this class of molecules can potentially provide well-tolerated treatments against Covid-19.
“Possible new option”
“Coping with the Covid-19 pandemic requires both vaccine prevention and targeted treatment for those who contract the virus. Given the way Sars-Cov-2 is changing and the continuing global impact, it seems likely that it is crucial to have access to treatment options both now and beyond the pandemic.“said Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer chief science officer and president of medical research and development.”We designed the PF-07321332 as a possible oral therapy that could be prescribed at the first sign of infection, without requiring patients to be hospitalized or in intensive care. At the same time, Pfizer’s intravenous antiviral candidate is a new potential option inpatient treatment“.
The phase 1 study initiated by the company is a single and multiple dose, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy adults evaluating its safety. tolerability and the pharmacokinetics (ie, drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination) of PF-07321332. The initiation of this clinical trial is supported by preclinical studies that have demonstrated the antiviral activity of this therapeutic potential against “first-class” Sars-Cov-2 specifically designed to inhibit virus replication. The structure of PF-07321332, along with preclinical data, will be shared at a Covid-19 session of the “Spring American Chemical Society” meeting on April 6. Additionally, Pfizer is also studying an experimental intravenously administered protease inhibitor, PF-07304814, which is currently in a multi-dose phase 1b study in hospitalized clinical trial participants with Covid-19.
