We are facing significant pharmacological advances in the fight against COVID-19, and medicinal chemists have contributed to the resumption of pre-pandemic normality.
On December 22, 2021, the United States regulatory agency (FDA) allowed the emergency use of a new drug to combat SARS-CoV-2, PAXLOVID.
Developed by Pfizer, this drug has as main components nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. The latter, used in treatments against HIV, works by increasing the concentration of nirmatrelvir in the body, improving the efficiency of the treatment.
Nirmatrelvir works as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 protease, which causes the virus to decrease its ability to replicate, reducing the chances of complications in patients.
Data obtained in phases 2 and 3 and conducted by Pfizer scientists, through a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, demonstrate great efficacy for patients in the risk group over 12 years who have mild to moderate symptoms.
Information provided by the drugmaker to the FDA demonstrates an 89% reduction in the risk of deaths and hospitalizations of those patients treated with PAXLOVID compared to the placebo group.
The drug is used via tablet (oral), and its effectiveness is greater when administered in the first days of symptoms, between three to five days.
These results have brought great expectations to health systems because, in addition to the satisfactory results in the treatment of mild to moderate cases, PAXLOVID has shown to be effective against all types of coronavirus identified so far, including the Ômicron variant.
As a result, the NIH (National Institutes of Health), an American agency dedicated to health research, issued on January 19, 2022 new guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19 for high-risk outpatients with mild to moderate symptoms.
In this document, guidelines are used to help physicians prescribe PAXLOVID to their patients, according to some criteria established by best clinical practices and the results obtained so far with research.
However, some issues still need to be debated and analyzed in greater detail by the academic community.
According to Pfizer, phase 3 trial of PAXLOVID was performed with unvaccinated patients only. Thus, the effects of this drug in the population vaccinated against COVID-19 are not yet known.
Likewise, it has not been verified whether the drug will have the same efficacy or benefit patients who are not in the risk group.
We, medicinal chemists, along with other scientists around the globe, are always looking for safe and effective solutions against the most diverse diseases.
With COVID-19 it has been no different. Let’s beat this pandemic!
