Pfizer's At-Home COVID-19 Treatment Likely Ready By End Of 2021

American pharmaceutical company Pfizer has confirmed that it is developing a groundbreaking antiviral pill that could make the treatment of COVID-19 at home possible before the end of 2021.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, revealed that the leading drugmaker is in the early stages of clinical trials for an oral drug that can prevent the virus from replicating in infected patients. Optimistic that further trials will show positive results and pending Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, Bourla estimates the revolutionary pill could be rolled out in the United States as early as the end of this year.

The pharmaceutical executive confirmed that trials for the pill have begun in both the U.S. and Belgium.

The oral antiviral belongs to a subset of drugs called protease inhibitors, a type of medication that suppresses a virus’s spread by deferring the production of an enzyme needed by the pathogen to replicate in human cells. Such drugs have already proven invaluable in combating viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C. Bourla expressed that the antiviral medication is expected to be effective against variants of COVID-19.

The Pfizer pill could prove a game-changer in lightening the strain on burdened U.S. healthcare facilities, by lessening the need for hospitalizations and hospital-based treatments. Researchers posit that the availability of medication that can be ingested orally will make outpatient and home treatment much more accessible, especially to those with mild cases of COVID-19.

Along with Germany’s company BioNTech, Pfizer broke ground in the U.S. last year as its coronavirus vaccine was among the first to be granted authorization for emergency use in the country. Since then the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for widespread use in both the U.S. and Europe.

Bourla also said Pfizer is dedicated to producing at least 2.5 billion doses of their vaccine this year and will produce no less than 3 billion shots of the vaccine annually.

Pfizer is currently lobbying to have the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine authorized for use on teenagers between 12 to 15. The pharmaceutical company has assured that their trials have yielded positive results and they are hoping that adolescents in the age group will soon be allowed to get vaccinated.