A Pill to Treat Covid May Be Getting Closer

Here's the latest news from the global pandemic.

If you come down with influenza, there's a good chance your doctor will immediately prescribe a five-day course of the antiviral pill oseltamivir in order to shorten the course of illness.

Now Pfizer is trying to see if something similar can be done for the coronavirus. It's recently begun human safety trials of a new pill that could be given at the first sign of a coronavirus infection, to prevent it from becoming severe.

“This is really a potential game-changer,” said Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer's chief scientific officer, in an interview with Bloomberg News.

Antiviral pills are sorely needed for Covid-19. While vaccines can prevent most cases, it could take years to get shots to the whole world. Some people will refuse vaccinations, and the virus will continue to mutate in the meantime. Meanwhile, the main drugs now for treating early Covid-19 are antibodies that must be infused at a medical facility. That's created logistical challenges that have hampered use.