How do Covid pills work?
The first oral anti-Covid drug Molnupiravir has been brought to Bangladesh by Eskayef Pharmaceuticals.
The second such drug, Paxlovid by Pfizer is, however, yet to be authorised around the world.
The two drugs have a lot to offer in terms of treatment of coronavirus infection.
But how do these work?
MOLNUPIRAVIR
According to the makers of Molnupiravir, it cuts the risk of being hospitalised or dying by half -- among adults with mild to moderate Covid, who would otherwise be at risk of developing serious disease.
The drug creates erroneous mutations in the genetic code of the virus, stopping it from replicating accurately.
The increasing replication with mutations, called "error catastrophe," eventually stop the virus' reproduction entirely.
The drug, due to its powerful destructive process, is named after "Mjölnir", the hammer wielded by the God of Thunder, Thor.
PAXLOVID
Paxlovid also stops viral replication, but in a different way.
Coronavirus remains functional and reproduces in our body with the help of protease, which is a kind of enzyme.
Paxlovid attaches to protease and makes it non-functional, thus making the coronavirus non-functional.
According to studies revealed by Pfizer, Paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalisation or death by 89 percent among those most vulnerable to Covid-19.
A major advantage the new drugs have is that they come in pill form, rather than as intravenous drugs. However, for both drugs, starting treatment early is important.
In clinical trials, Merck and Pfizer started the treatments within five days of symptoms starting. The trials for both treatments reported no unfavourable side-effects.
Such drugs, in the form of pills are expected to not only help cure people, but also stop the spread of coronavirus.
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