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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 8447740" data-attributes="member: 177">Meanwhile, in positive news.Pfizer is seeing good results in testing of a new anti-viral drug (named "Paxlovid"), reducing the likelihood of hospitalization or death from covid-19 by 89% in patients in high risk groups. It shows good results when administered within 5 days of showing symptoms, which is extremely promising[sup]*[/sup].Pfizer says that they are going to apply for emergency use authorization.For the curious, the drug is a protease inhibitor.  Initially developed for HIV and Hepatitis C treatment, a protease inhibitor... inhibits proteases.  A protease is an enzyme that cuts proteins apart - in replication, many viruses make large proteins that get cut apart before assembly into a new virus.  So, this drug prevents new viruses from being assembled, by stopping the creation of some of the necessary parts.This drug started its life in HIV treatment.  Nearly 20 years ago, in the SARS epidemic, Pfizer began modifying it into a new drug that would work against coronaviruses.  SARS died out too quickly to bring the drug to market, but Pfizer didn't forget about it, and went back to work when covid-19 reared its head.[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.wbur.org/npr/1052679112/pfizer-covid-pill-treatment[/URL]*Some antivirals are only effective if administered very early in the course of an infection - sometimes, by the time a person feels symptoms and gets tested, it is too late to use them.  Thankfully, this seems to not be the case here.</blockquote>

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