Read more about Innovative therapy for coronavirus is required as much as a vaccine on Business Standard. Pharma giants have already started work on different formulations and combination therapies of their existing molecules
The world’s leading innovator bio-pharmaceutical companies feel that while vaccines may ultimately bring an end to the (Covid-19) pandemic, there is an urgent need for innovation in treatment options. At present, around 300 different treatment options are being researched across the globe – while some are repurposed therapies, some are novel. Speaking at an event organised by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), a Geneva-based trade association that represents pharma companies around the world, pharma giants said that it would be critical to have collaborations amongst rivals to ensure that manufacturing capacities can be scaled up to the extent needed during a global pandemic. In fact, Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer put it quite emphatically – “the only rival is the virus and the only competitor is time”. Pharma giants have already started work on different formulations and combination therapies of their existing molecules to see if that could reduce the disease burden and prevent hospitalisation. US-based Gilead Sciences, for example, is not only working on 36 clinical trials of its innovative drug remdesivir that include different combination therapies, it is also evaluating the use of remdesivir in an inhaler form. ” Remdesivir is now administered in intra-venous (IV) form and it is not suitable for oral use. We are trying to explore other formulations of remdesivir. There is a possibility of use as an inhaler,” said Daniel O’ Day, chairman and CEO of Gilead. O’Day feels that inhalers are a ‘good idea’ as the drug directly reaches the lungs where the virus primarily attacks.
