As the world figures out how to coexist with COVID-19, the introduction of oral pills looks promising, in addition to the treatments of monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir.
In this multiple series of articles, we will review three oral antivirals against COVID: Paxlovid developed by Pfizer, molnupiravir developed by Merck, and Azvudine developed by Genuine Biotech Limited in China.
We will break down these drugs’ development history, clinical trial data and real-world effectiveness, the advantages and limitations of each drug, and the connection between oral antivirals and human immunity.
How Does Paxlovid Work?
Pfizer’s Paxlovid contains two active ingredients. The first is nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332), a protease inhibitor against the main protease involved in the cleavage of polyproteins involved in viral replication….