Pfizer’s new at home pill to treat COVID available by year end
Making and distributing billions of vaccines fast is difficult to say the least - this is a new novel solution.
Key takeaways
- The company, which developed the first authorized Covid-19 vaccine in the US with German drug maker BioNTech, began trials in March.
- In addition to the drug Pfizer is still testing its vaccine in 6 month to 11 year old children.
- Earlier this month, the company asked the FDA to expand its vaccine authorization to adolescents ages 12 to 15 after the shot was found to be 100% effective in a study.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2021) 'Pfizer’s new at home pill to treat COVID available by year end', 311 Institute, 30 April. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/pfizers-new-at-home-pill-to-treat-covid-available-by-year-end/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
As the global pandemic has gripped the world a race began to develop vaccines in record time, and then came the problem of making enough doses and having to distribute them to the billions of people around the world who needed them – something that almost every company and every country struggled with.
Evidently having to make vaccines in the traditional way, and secure enough glass, viles, and manufacturing capacity to make them all was difficult. So, then began a new vaccine race – to develop vaccines that didn’t need to be injected, that could be breathed in or taken in pill form, and that protected against every kind of future Coronavirus strain. And now we’re nearing the finishing line with several trials nearing completion and Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla announcing that their experimental oral drug to treat Covid-19 at the first sign of illness could be available by the end of the year.
The company, which developed the first authorized Covid-19 vaccine in the US with German drug maker BioNTech, began trials in March. The drug is part of a class of medicines called protease inhibitors and works by inhibiting an enzyme that the virus needs to replicate in human cells. Protease inhibitors are used to treat other viral pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis C.
If clinical trials go well and, more importantly, the Food and Drug Administration approves it, the drug could be distributed across the US by the end of the year.
Health experts say the drug, taken by mouth, could be a game changer because people newly infected with the virus could use it outside of hospitals and could even be posted to patients. Researchers hope the medication will keep the disease from progressing and prevent hospital trips.
In addition to the drug Pfizer is still testing its vaccine in 6 month to 11 year old children. Vaccinating children is crucial to ending the coronavirus pandemic, public health officials and infectious disease experts say.
Earlier this month, the company asked the FDA to expand its vaccine authorization to adolescents ages 12 to 15 after the shot was found to be 100% effective in a study. Bourla says he is “very optimistic” that the FDA will approve use of the shot in adolescents.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Making and distributing billions of vaccines fast is difficult to say the least - this is a new novel solution.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- protease inhibitors medicalnewstoday.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 30 April 2021. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2021). Pfizer’s new at home pill to treat COVID available by year end. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/pfizers-new-at-home-pill-to-treat-covid-available-by-year-end/
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