September 27, 2021 – Pfizer Inc. announced the start of the Phase 2/3 EPIC-PEP (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for COVID-19 in Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) study to evaluate an investigational novel oral antiviral candidate for the prevention of COVID-19 infection.
This Phase 2/3 trial is part of a global clinical research program and is enrolling people who age 18 and older who live in the same household as an individual with a confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The goal of the study is to assess safety and efficacy for the prevention of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and its symptoms through Day 14.
Results from the Phase 1 clinical trial demonstrated that the drug was safe and well tolerated, the company says.
This trial drug is the first orally administered coronavirus-specific investigational protease inhibitor to be evaluated in clinical studies. There is not an orally administered therapy currently approved for post-exposure or pre-emptive treatment of COVID-19, Pfizer says.