What You Need to Know About a Potential "COVID Pill"

[SheltieLover]

https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/a37500289/merck-pfizer-covid-pill/

Could a simple twice-daily pill treat COVID? Clinical trials are underway at both Pfizer and Merck.

But that may change in the future. Both Pfizer and Merck are working on a so-called “COVID pill” that could help treat people with the virus who aren’t at risk of developing severe illness. Meaning, if these medications work out, there could eventually be a drug available that you could take when you have COVID-19 that could work like Tamiflu does on the flu, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Pfizer’s pill is currently known as PF-07321332. The company announced on Sept. 1 that the medication has started phase 2/3 clinical trials and has just been given to its first patient. PF-07321332 is being given alongside a low dose of ritonavir, a drug that’s expected to help slow the breakdown of PF-07321332 so that it can remain in the body for longer periods of time at higher concentrations.

“Ritonavir is a protease inhibitor—it inhibits an enzyme needed for certain viruses to work properly,” explains Jamie Alan, Pharm.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.

More at link.

[sheshe2]

1. K&R

Hope.

[SheltieLover]

2. Thx, She!

Hoping, too!

[hlthe2b]

3. That would be great, but we need a far better way of getting it to those who need it quickly than we

do for Tamiflu and other antivirals. Expecting the public to go through the usual primary care provider (assuming they actually HAVE one and a tremendous percentage of Americans do not), don't get trapped in voice mail limbo/no call back for three days or more and that a prescription would get called in in time for them to receive it for maximal effect is a pretty grim prospect.

Missing prevention for influenza in time is one thing. Missing it for COVID-19 is another. We see this consistently with shingles, where those who would tremendously benefit from antivirals so rarely get them in time.

The answer would be standing orders from physicians at least administratively overseeing COVId-19 testing sites (yes, there is a physician you never see who is legally responsible for the testing that is performed--even if they work for the laboratory as their supervising pathologist) under very specific parameters for prescriptions to be issued. Of course, that won't happen, but it should.

[SheltieLover]

4. Great point!

Ty for voicing this! Pls email to WH?

I don't even want to tell you how horrid healthcare is in this region. Surreal.

[MustLoveBeagles]

5. Sounds promising

So if I understand this correctly this would be taken by those who have mild to moderate symptoms? It could possibly reduce the possibility of hospitalization or long haul Covid?

[SheltieLover]

6. Hi Beagles!

I'm guessing so. Fingers crossed!

[MustLoveBeagles]

7. Hi Sheltie

My fingers are crossed that this becomes a treatment option.

[SheltieLover]

8. Me too!

[Raine]

9. I hope this comes to be, we need treatments since nothing

at all seems to stop people from getting the virus. Once it's attacks a person treatment is what's needed.