The launch of two antiviral medications, Molnupiravir and  Paxlovid, is being expected to be a game changer as the world continued to reels under the devastating effects of the pandemic for the last two years. 

The trial results of the two antiviral pills developed by the American pharmaceutical companies Merck and Pfizer show that these pills are significantly effective in reducing the probability of a COVID19 patient developing serious illness. 

Pfizer’s Paxlovid, which is yet to get approved by the United States government, has shown an efficacy of 89 per cent in reducing the chances of hospitalisation or death if the coronavirus-infected person takes the pill within three days of the onset of symptoms. However, the efficacy reduces to 85 per cent if the pill consumption is within five days of the onset of symptoms.

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Meanwhile, Merck’s Molnupiravir pill, which got approved for use in the United Kingdom yesterday (November 5) has an efficacy of almost 50 per cent.

Why are Molnupiravir and Paxlovid antiviral pills significant?

Ever since the COVID19 pandemic began, the launch of vaccines has been the only measure to protect people against infections. But once infected,  the treatment of patients has always been a challenge for the medical community and protocols have been revised repeatedly. At present, symptomatic treatment is what doctors rely on and use medications accordingly. 

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With the entry of these antiviral medications that reduce, it is expected that the cases of hospitalisations and deaths will reduce drastically.

According to an article titled ‘How antiviral pill molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt’ published in Nature journal on October 9, 2021, these pills can be of  great help especially in countries where vaccination rates are low.

“A pill could make treating patients earlier on in their infection much easier — and more effective. It could also keep hospitals from overflowing, especially in places where vaccination rates are still low, such as many low- and lower-middle-income countries,” it stated.

US President Joe Biden stated yesterday that his government has secured millions of doses of Pfizer’s drug. “If authorized by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) we may soon have pills that treat the virus in those who become infected,” Biden said.

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“The therapy would be another tool in our toolbox to protect people from the worst outcomes of COVID,” he added.

Pfizer’s Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in an interview yesterday that the pharma giant is in ‘active discussions’ with 90 countries over supply contracts for its pill.

How do these antiviral pills work against COVID19 infection?

Both these drugs, Pfizer’ Paxlovid and Merck’s Molnupiravir target SARS-CoV-2’s ability to multiply inside the human body. These pills are given for five days. 

Pfizer’s dosage is mentioned as three pills in the morning and three pills at night while Merck’s dosage is four pills in the morning and four at night.

Pfizer’s drug  blocks an enzyme that the coronavirus needs to reproduce. Pfizer was quoted by news agency Reuters that because the drug targets a part of the virus essential to replication, the virus cannot become resistant to the treatment.

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Merck’s pill is based on a mechanism that introduces errors into the genetic code of the virus. Because the drug generates random mutations into the virus, it is difficult for the COVID19 to evolve and become resistant to it.