Currently, the new Covid-19 variant Omicron is taking the world by storm. Originating in South Africa as of late November, it was considered a variant of concern(VOC) by the WHO on November 26th and the first US case was identified on December 1st. While masks and current vaccination provide significant protection against Covid-19 strains, there is always a chance of breakthrough infections.
In response, both Merck and Pfizer have developed novel antiviral pills in attempts to treat Covid-19 symptoms. It is known that cures for viral diseases do not exist, since viruses tend to mutate extremely fast. However, there exist novel drugs that promise to alleviate Covid-19 symptoms in the early stages of infection, like Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck’s molnupiravir.
It is known that Covid-19 infects human cells by its outer spike proteins attaching to ACE2 receptors on the outside of the cell membrane. When in the cell, Covid-19 viral pathogens insert their viral RNA into our cytoplasmic ribosomes, which then codes for the creation of new viruses that then get excreted by the human cell. Merck’s molnupiravir consists of a five day treatment in which mutations to the viral RNA are introduced, since molnupiravir resembles viral nucleosides, causing irregular viral replication and, ultimately, an inability for the Covid-19 viral population to collectively survive in their human host. Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill, on the other hand, is administered in the early stages of Covid-19 infection to stop the progression of the disease and to prevent severe Covid-19 symptoms by inhibiting protease enzymes from functioning, which leads to the inability of virus proteins to become segmented and to spread, leading to dysfunctional Covid-19 viral pathogens and the ultimate death of Covid-19 viruses in the human host.
Fortunately, these two treatments are showing promising results in current clinical data trials. According to a Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) clinical study, 14.1% of placebo-treated patients were admitted to the hospital or had died of Covid-19, while only 7.3% of molnupiravir-treated patients were either hospitalized. In addition, at the end of the trial, 0 deaths were recorded in the monopiravir trial, while 8 deaths were reported among the placebo group. These results lead MSD scientists to deduce that the novel molnupiravir to reduce hospitalization or death by 50%.
Pfizer’s Paxlovid, on the other hand, is especially promising in its clinical results. According to a recent Pfizer clinical data trial, 7% of the placebo group was hospitalized, and 7 died, while a staggering .8% of Paxlovid-treated Covid-19 patients were hospitalized, with 0 deaths by the end of the trial. These results lead Pfizer to state that “Paxlovid is 89% effective at patients in risk of serious illness,” as reported by Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.
In conclusion, although Covid-19 cannot have a fixed “cure,” outside of a vaccine of course, yet convenient, short-course antiviral pill treatments like Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck’s molnupiravir provide promising clinical trial results that show efficacy in reducing hospitalization and death rates due to Covid-19. While clinical data trials provide important markers of understanding Covid-19 treatment, it is still impossible to predict the practical applications of these pill treatments in the real world. Who will have access to these pill treatments? How will they get distributed? Will these treatments create global and regional socioeconomic disparities? In the eyes of these questions, our current vaccination protocols remain firm. While novel Covid-19 antiviral treatments are a huge step against Covid-19, the necessity for society to continue vaccination, as well as attempt to reach herd immunity levels, still holds utmost importance.
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