Pfizer starts study of oral drug for preventing COVID-19

The Pfizer logo.
(Image credit: Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

Pfizer has started testing an oral antiviral pill aimed at preventing COVID-19 infections, the pharmaceutical company announced Monday.

The drug, PF-07321332, is designed to block the main enzyme the coronavirus needs to multiply, Pfizer said. PF-07321332 will be co-administered with a small dose of ritonavir, an antiviral that is used in combination with other medications to treat HIV.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.