COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Drug From Pfizer Could Be Available By 2021, Says CEO: CNBC

An oral antiviral drug to stop the virus that causes COVID-19 from replicating could be ready next year “if all goes right,” Pfizer Inc PFE CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC.
He also added that the drug should work against all variants of the virus.
Pfizer is conducting the stage one clinical trial on an oral antiviral therapy that a patient could take when developing symptoms.
Early-stage U.S. trial of an oral COVID-19 antiviral therapy, dubbed PF-07321332, was started in March this year.
Up to 60 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 60 will be included in the trial. The study will run for 145 days, with another 28 days added for “screening and dosing.”
Pfizer is also working on an intravenously administered protease inhibitor, known as PF-07304814. That drug is currently in a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
The drug is based on “protease inhibiting” technology and works by inhibiting an enzyme that the virus needs to replicate in human cells.
Protease inhibitors are used to treat other viral pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis C.
In addition to the drug, Pfizer is still testing its vaccine in 6-month to 11-year-old children.
Earlier this month, the company asked the FDA to expand its vaccine authorization to adolescents ages 12 to 15 after the shot was 100% effective in a study.
Price Action: PFE shares are down 0.63% at $38.44 in market trading hours on the last check Tuesday.