These are the new drugs against covid-19
The corona pill is coming. These pills can help to get sick less after infection. Here are a few good contenders, including the just-approved Merck pill molnupiravir and the Pfizer pill paxlovid. You use it just like a course of antibiotics after infection.
Pill from Merck
In early October, manufacturer Merck announced that molnupiravir halves the risk of hospitalization or death from Covid-19 in people at high risk. Unfortunately, the company had to adjust these figures later. Molnupiravir is not working as well as hoped. It turns out to be only 30 percent and not 50 percent, according to the New York Times. A course of this antiviral should be taken within five days of being infected.
Great Britain has ordered half a million cures. Great Britain has been the first to approve molnupiravir as a medicine. The European EMA has now also given a positive advice. The Netherlands appears to have already bought pills in advancet from Merck, and from Pfizer.
Pill from Pfizer
Pfizer, known for the Pfizer vaccine, is now also testing a viral inhibitor in tablet form in the EPIC-PEP study. The new antiviral drug Paxlovid is a prothease inhibitor, in combination with a low dose of the HIV drug ritonavir. The first results have been announced by the company itself, so they may have been a bit too enthusiastic, just like with Merck. But the numbers look good. The pill was tested in adults with Covid-19 who were at high risk of becoming seriously ill. Within three days of the onset of symptoms, half of the group received a course of the pills, the other half did not. The risk of hospitalization or death was found to be 89 percent lower in the people who had received the treatment. In any case, the following applies to both pills from Merck and Pfizer: we still know very little about the effect and side effects.
Ensovibep is now being investigated in Utrecht
In the UMC Utrecht, research is being conducted into this antiviral drug in the Empathy study. Ensovibep is administered with an IV for a maximum of 7 days after infection with the coronavirus. It attacks the place where the coronavirus wants to enter the cell and thus prevents the virus from spreading through the body. People who have just been infected can still register for this study.
Two other interesting viral inhibitors
The companies Atea and Roche are working on a viral inhibitor. Unfortunately, they had to report on October 19 that the research results were disappointing. But this study was done in people with mild to moderate Covid-19. They are thinking of repeating the study in people whose disease is more advanced, which may yield better results.
Medications that work on the immune system
Tocilizumab, Anakinra and Baricitinib are drugs that affect the immune system and thus limit the damage caused by the coronavirus. The European Medicines Agency EMA is currently evaluating these medicines. If approved, they will become available for Covid-19. Anakinra is already on the market for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism.
Remdesivir for pneumonia in hospital
The viral inhibitor remdesivir is already registered as a drug against covid-19. Remdesivir ensures a faster recovery in patients who are in hospital with pneumonia and who need extra oxygen. The disadvantage is that the drug has not been proven effective against death from Covid-19. Remdesivir is given intravenously, so it is also a bit trickier to administer than a tablet or capsule. But all these drawbacks are no reason to toss remdesivir overboard when something better comes on the market. As with antibiotics, resistance to antivirals can develop. It is then useful to have some on hand.
The ‘old acquaintance’ dexamethasone
This is a drug that inhibits inflammation. Dexamethasone has been a widely used drug for decades in, among other things, rheumatism, skin diseases and asthma. Like remdesivir, dexamethasone is registered as a drug against Covid-19. Dexamethasone also lowers the risk of death in hospital patients with Covid-19, who are given oxygen or are on a ventilator.
Monoclonal Antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies attach to the virus, preventing it from attaching to the human cell and stopping its spread. Monoclonal antibodies have not yet been approved as medicines, but some types may already be given to patients. They appear to be able to prevent hospitalization and death. In Rotterdam, for example, the medicine REGEN-Cov has been developed with two monoclonal antibodies, read more about it here.