Covid-19 pill race ignites as Japanese company competes with Pfizer and Merck

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A Japanese company has begun human trials of its first once-daily pill for Covid-19 patients, joining Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. In the race to find cures for this disease.

Shionogi & Co. said: The Osaka-based company, which helped develop the popular cholesterol drug Crestor, has designed its pills to attack the Covid-19 virus. She said once-a-day dosing would be more appropriate. The company said it is testing the drug and any side effects in trials that began this month and are likely to continue into next year.

Shionogi is months behind Pfizer and Merck, which have begun later-stage tests of their Covid-19 treatment pills. Pfizer said its twice-daily pills may be ready to enter the market as soon as this year as it prepares to enroll more than 2,000 patients in an antiviral pill test with a booster antiviral drug against a placebo.

The three companies aim to fill one of the biggest gaps in the fight against the pandemic. Studies have shown that vaccines remain effective in preventing serious illnesses from known strains of COVID-19, including the infectious delta strain. But some people don’t want to be vaccinated, and cases can happen to those who get their vaccinations.

Current treatments, including the antiviral drug Remdesivir made by Gilead Sciences Inc. It should generally be administered in hospitals and only work part-time. Other medications that can be given in hospitals include monoclonal antibody drugs such as those made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. The steroid dexamethasone.

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