Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where he explained that oral drugs for COVID-19 could be available next year.
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Bourla told the CNBC host, “If all goes well, and we implement the same speed that we are, and if regulators do the same, and they are, I hope that by the end of the year.”
Bourla said Pfizer is working on two antivirals, an oral and an injectable.
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Bourla explained, “Particular attention is on the oral because it provides several advantages. One of them is that you don’t need to go to the hospital to get the treatment, which is the case with all the injectables so far. You could get it at home, and that could be a game-changer.”
The Hill reports – The company began an early-stage clinical trial of the oral drug late last month. The drug blocks protease, a critical enzyme that the virus needs to replicate.
The only antiviral currently approved for use against the coronavirus is Remdesivir, which is manufactured by Gilead Sciences. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the drug full approval in October after it was granted emergency use authorization in May.
Remdesivir is administered in a hospital setting through an IV.
h/t: 100 Percent Fed Up