Pfizer begins the study of an oral drug for the prevention of COVID-19
Sept 27 (Reuters) – Pfizer Inc PFE.N said on Monday it has started a mid-to-late-stage study testing its investigational oral antiviral drug for the prevention of COVID-19 infection among those who have been exposed to the virus.
The company and its rivals, including U.S.-based Merck & Co Inc MRK.N and Swiss pharmaceutical Roche Holding AG ROG.S, have been racing to develop the first antiviral pill for COVID-19.
Pfizer said it would study the 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.
The trial would test PF-07321332 with a low dose of ritonavir, an older medication widely used in combination treatments for HIV infection.
Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said earlier this month they had begun enrolling patients in a late-stage trial of their experimental drug molnupiravir for prevention of COVID-19 infection.
Pfizer had also said earlier this month it started a mid-to-late-stage trial of PF-07321332 for the treatment of COVID-19 in non-hospitalized, symptomatic adult patients.
(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla and Amruta Khandekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
News Credit: www.nasdaq.com
Latest in www.nasdaq.com. Please visit the source: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/pfizer-begins-study-of-oral-drug-for-prevention-of-covid-19-2021-09-27
