Antiviral COVID-19 Pills From Pfizer & Merck.

It seems like vaccination is not the only way to fight covid-19 as the UK recently became the first country to start the use of antiviral COVID-19 pills.

Now more countries are considering oral COVID-19 treatments produced by pharma giants like Merck and Pfizer. So, What are these pills and how effective are they?

There are the answers

A new game changer in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is in the spotlight.

Two options of the antiviral pills are those made by Pfizer called Paxlovid and Merck's Molnupiravir. The effectiveness of those pillls have been tested with results showing them to be effective in reducing the number of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19.

So the drug works in inhibiting the reproduction of proteins for the virus. This is why it's called a protease inhibitor which is kind of something that helps to denature the proteins into the viral particles that we see. 

This drug disrupts that process in a nutshell regarding the success rate physics.

Paxlovid has 89 percent of effectiveness whereas Merck's showed 50 percent.

The course of treatment lasts 5 days for both. And patients are required to take six pills a day for Paxlovid and eight a day for  Molnupiravir.

So far Pfizer hopes to distribute 180 000 courses appeals by the end of this year, Which will later be expanded to 50 million. 

Merck is set on distributing 10 million by the end of this year and 20 million in 2022.

However a big question remains is vaccination. 

No longer needed getting vaccinated greatly reduces your chances of getting COVID at all. This doesn't change the need to get vaccinated.

So, that's the answer. 

And when we talk about the cost of these pills, Merck's pills are around 700 US Dollars per person.

But South Korean health official said the cost will be covered by the government, continues talks to secure an extra 134 000 courses are still going on with Pfizer and Merck.