Treating Covid-19 can now be uncomplicated than ever thought with the new generation of treatments- inhalers, nasal sprays, and pills can be successful treatment tools for the deadly Covid-19 virus.
The dependency on expensive and invasive drugs for treating the Covid-19 virus will not go a long way now as the new form of medications will take the front row.
Not Just Remade Sivir, Covid-19 Pills, And Inhalers Can Soon
Biotech and pharma companies are devotedly working on easy alternative treatments for the virus.Â
Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics are all set to release their first-ever pill for the treatment of Covid-19. Merck on Monday asked for approval from the FDA for its antiviral pills.
The pills were found to minimize the risk of death and hospitalization among adults infected with mild to moderate Covid-19.Â
The pharma companies have asked for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
The antiviral pills for treating the deadly Covid-19 virus may get the green signal within a few weeks if the data submitted is good enough to prove its safety and efficacy.
So far, Remdesivir being the only medical treatment for Covid-19 was highly expensive and inaccessible to many. Remdesivir is an antiviral drug that is administered via injection. It is effective in ensuring faster recovery among hospitalized Covid-19 patients.
Apart from Remdesivir, Monoclonal antibodies are also permitted to be used in emergency situations. The antibodies help in preventing patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 from developing severe Covi-19. The drug is administered in two ways- injections or infusions.
Along with facile treatment, the pills will also come out to be cheaper than antibody infusions. The antibody infusion is available free of cost to American citizens. However, it costs the US government a whopping $1000 per dose.
It must be well understood that these pills and inhalers cannot replace vaccines. But Covid-19 can now be treated easily with a few antiviral pills.
The antiviral pill, Molnupiravir, by Merck was originally Formulated for the Treatment of Flu. Now the antiviral pills are under evaluation for being a potential treatment for mild to moderate Covid-19 infection.Â
The study for its evaluation included about 1,900 volunteers, and results show that the pills effectively reduce the risk of hospitalization or death to half.
Merck earlier this month announced the results and said, ” the volunteers received 40 pills in total for five days- Four capsules twice a day. It was observed that the pills reduced the risk of hospitalization or death among a group of about 385 people.”
Merck’s pills come under the class of antiviral drugs, nucleosides. These drugs block the replication of the virus inside the cells. Apart from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, two other companies, Roche and Atea Pharmaceuticals, are collaboratively working on a nucleoside pill.
A drug called AT-527 proves to reduce the amount of present virus among hospitalized patients with moderate Covid-19 infection. Roche is waiting for the results of the study that was conducted on 1,400 volunteers. The reports are expected to arrive before the end of the year.