Background
While the whole world is struggling to get rid of the novel coronavirus, scientists are in a dynamic race of developing the best possible treatment (Covid-19 pill) method for it. Till now several explanations have been already made by various groups of scientists regarding the treatment of coronavirus. Among them, after several successful clinical trials, a variety of vaccines believed to be protective against the Covid-19 virus are being given to people globally. Although these vaccines may not provide a complete cure, they are proven to help limit the rate of transmission among the people as well as believed to prevent the worst complications.
Not only the vaccines, some groups of scientists and researchers in different countries, at various points in time, also have claimed some medications to be effective against coronavirus. For example; few earlier types of research have found a drug named Ivermectin to be effective against mild cases of Covid-19. Likewise, a group of Bangladeshi doctors also claimed a drug combination Ivermectin+Doxycyclin to be effective in the cure of Covid-19 to some extent.
However, the ultimate cure for this novel coronavirus is still under research. Various clinical trials are still ongoing to find out the optimal treatment method that would finally help the globe to get rid of the fear that the Covid-19 virus had generated in the past one and a half years.
The Concept
The Covid-19 Pill indicates a drug that would successfully help to treat the disease as well as the complications of the coronavirus. This concept was brought up by some leading biopharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Merck & Co.etc. Earlier before this various biopharmaceutical companies successfully manufactured several vaccines against Covid-19 which are quite popularly being taken by people worldwide.
The covid-19 pandemic is one of the worst situations that the globe has been facing. The fact that it originated all of a sudden, started spreading rapidly, developed complications very soon, and ultimately took the lives of many people made it even more adverse.
On the other hand, the unavailability of treatment undoubtedly doubled its effects. In this regard, after many types of research experts believe that like any other viral disease, the novel coronavirus also requires a combination of prevention via vaccine and treatment using medication/drug for those who still acquire the disease. And based on this fact the concept of the Covid-19 pill came off.
The Covid-19 Pill
By now most of us surely know that Covid-19 is a viral disease caused by a virus named “Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)”. Since it is a viral disease, it has to be treated by an antiviral drug that would perfectly act against the specific virus. The Covid-19 Pill is exactly that antiviral drug that would probably turn out to be the ultimate cure for Covid-19.
The basic idea about this pill is, it would block a key enzyme responsible for the replication of the virus. This means the inhibition of that specific enzyme would lead to preventing viral replication hence resulting in decreased viral load in a person who becomes infected by the virus. Well, this would finally have two positive outcomes. Minimal viral load in an individual would cause less severe disease and thus prevent the complications and mortality rate. Also, slower replication would help minimize the spread of the virus among people.
Hence, the disease process would turn out to be less fearful and quite easily controllable.
Why is the Covid-19 Pill important?
Since the very beginning, from the first-ever case till now several treatment protocols are being followed in different countries all over the world according to the need and severity of the disease. Most of the asymptomatic but covid positive patients required no treatment at all. Among the symptomatic patients with mild to moderate symptoms, few required no treatment at all while those who required were just treated symptomatically. No specific drug therapy was required. However, in those with severe illness multiple life-saving drugs were used depending upon the patient’s condition. In all of these, no such specific treatment was ever used that would directly act against the virus itself. That is because no such drug has been introduced yet.
Hence, it is really very important to develop that one drug that would finally act against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and provide treatment to all the people including those who aren’t even at the risk of developing severe illness. This means the covid-19 pill would treat the patients in their very early stages thus preventing the severity, complications, and mortality.
The infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security also says, “The aim is to make an oral antiviral for COVID that would reduce symptoms, reduce complications, and reduce contagiousness”.
It has been almost one and a half years that the globe is struggling to fight against this deadly virus. People are not being able to lead a normal life. Some people are becoming mentally stressed and sick. If it continues like this, then the world might face a horrible situation in the near future.
Therefore, now it is high time to develop that life-saving pill that would not only save us from the disease but also would gift back the world the life they had in the past.
The Composition and Mechanism of action
The Covid19 pill is a protease inhibitor by composition. Some protease inhibitors have been used in the treatment of some deadly viral diseases like HIV-AIDS and Hepatitis C in the past as well. They are either used alone or in combinations with some other effective antivirals.
Protease is actually an enzyme within the virus. It is responsible for the replication of the virus which means, the presence of this enzyme helps the virus to reproduce and multiply itself in number. The more the virus replicates, the more they become in number thus increasing their viral load. Until and unless this enzyme stops functioning it is difficult to stop the multiplication of the virus. And without controlling the multiplication it is impossible to prevent the spread of the virus.
Hence, protease inhibitor aims to block that specific enzyme(protease) and thus prevent the replication. When it is consumed by a person who is already infected with the virus, it binds with the protease enzyme present within the virus and thus prevents replication and finally the spread of the virus.
The Trials
Back at the beginning of 2021, Phase-I (early-stage) clinical trials were performed to see the effectiveness of the protease inhibitor developed against Covid-19. Pfizer also stated that “the results from an early-stage trial suggests the pill was safe and well-tolerated” by the study population. After quite successful phase-I trials, further researches were done to complete the mid-late-stage trials to finally prove the drug as safe and effective against Covid-19.
The researchers in recent days are trying to complete the Phase-II and Phase-III (mid-late-stage) trials. The trial will further test the safety and efficacy of the pill at preventing/controlling covid-19 infection and symptomatic disease by day 14. The pill will be trialed in combination with another antiviral drug, Ritonavir that is used to treat HIV.
Positive results are expected to be obtained by the end of the year.
In Phase-I and Phase-II trials a group of people with early symptoms of Covid-19 will be administered with the covid19 pill along with ritonavir while another group of people with similar symptoms will receive a placebo two times a day for 5-10 days. The results will be compared to see the actual role of the investigational oral antiviral drug in treating the disease and controlling the severity by the end of the second week of the drug administration. The study population will be aged over 18 years.
Other than Pfizer, other companies like Merck & co. and Roche & Atea pharmaceuticals are also working on trials to develop and bring into action an optimal treatment therapy against covid-19. Pfizer has named their covid-19 pill PF-07321332 while Merck & Co. and Roche & Atea named it Molnupiravir and AT-527 respectively. Whatever may be the name, all these pills are developed with an aim to prevent the replication and spread of the coronavirus so that we can live a normal life once again.
The Hope
Now that the trials are already brought into action there is a positive ray of hope that we could finally get a cure for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Before the introduction of the vaccines as well, several clinical trials were conducted. It took a lot of time to bring an ultimate vaccine that was well tolerated and safe for the general people. However, after so much research and dedication finally, we are now able to receive the vaccines and stay safe to some extent.
Similarly, let us all hope that the trials ongoing to develop that ultimate antiviral pill against the SARS-CoV-2 virus would be successful very soon so that we could lead a life as normal as before. With the combined efforts of the experts hopefully that day is also not too far.
Conclusion
The Covid-19 pill is an oral antiviral protease inhibitor that would help in preventing the replication of the virus. That means if this pill will meet the expected outcome successfully then it will undoubtedly help to minimize the disease severity in the diseased person as well as will reduce the transmissibility among the people.
If this happens we will be able to treat Covid-19 like any other normal viral disease and we will not have to be scared about its complications anymore. As a result, the world will finally get rid of this pandemic and everything will become normal as before.
People will not only be physically treated, but they will also get relief from a mental burden. There is a mental health pandemic going on along with the Covid-19 pandemic; this will also probably come to an end.
Therefore, the covid-19 pill is a need at present so that the world could get back to our very own old normal situation from the existing new normal.
