The Pfizer logo is seen with a syringe and needle in this photo illustration in Warsaw, Poland on March 1, 2021. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NEW YORK - Pfizer announced Monday that it has begun the phase 1 study of an oral antiviral drug to treat SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.The pharmaceutical company said the trial is being conducted in the U.S.
and has already shown potential in treating COVID-19 patients as well as other coronaviruses. The way the drug works is that it releases inhibitors that bind to a virus and keep it from replicating.
The same formula is used to treat HIV and the hepatitis C virus. RELATED: COVID-19 pill effective in preliminary testing may be 'holy grail' of pandemic, doctor saysR.