The big pharma rolling out the treatment of covid is not done

Recent developments in the US vaccination effort augurs well for a continued return to normal life. Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday that their vaccine was safe in a study late in the year in children ages 5 to 11, and a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel last week recommended the use of booster shots in older and high-risk adults. . Comprehensive vaccination coverage is likely on the way.

Nevertheless, hopes of completely eradicating the disease are currently unrealistic, as a significant portion of the population is unwilling to receive the vaccine under any circumstances. In addition, vaccinated patients can still contract the disease, although greatly reducing the risk of hospitalization or death. What’s more, the return of large gatherings means that spreading some virus is inevitable.

Those realities mean that antiviral drugs are still sorely needed. Gilead Sciences’ drug remdesivir is only approved for patients who are already hospitalized and given intravenously.

Soon the picture may change. Pfizer, Merck & Company and Roche Holding are all conducting late-stage clinical trials for experimental oral antiviral treatments. Pfizer is evaluating its candidate in high-risk and low-risk patients who have not yet been hospitalized, while Merck’s trial aims to prevent COVID-19 infection in members of the same household with the disease. has been diagnosed. Roche, in partnership with Aetia Pharmaceuticals, is studying its drug in hospitalized patients. The results of all three are expected before the end of the year.

These drugs, if they prove effective, will help slow the spread of COVID and help patients recover more quickly. He also has the potential to be a huge commercial success. After all, sales of remdesivir totaled $829 million in the second quarter of this year and have eclipsed $5 billion since the pandemic began. Medicines that work for patients who do not require hospitalization, or for close contacts of positive cases, may be even more attractive.

Granted, there are also barriers to effective antivirals; These drugs often require early diagnosis to be useful. And from a financial standpoint, these drug companies already have huge top lines; Pfizer, Merck and Roche generated nearly $150 billion in revenue last year.

Still, new growth opportunities for large drug manufacturers are generally in short supply. Adequate COVID-19 testing equipment makes quick diagnosis and effective use of such a drug more realistic than a typical flu case. And governments around the world will be ready to buy a lot of medicines to help avert the dire economic consequences caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown policies, like closed schools and businesses.

Investors should be ready to swallow this pill without any hesitation.

This story has been published without modification to the text from a wire agency feed