There are many in the drug race. Apart from the above mentioned PF-07321332 protease inhibitor, Pfizer also has two other candidates based on their Main Protease (M-pro) technology. This was developed when SARS epidemic started and was later abandoned around 2004.
It was found with Covid, the Mpro remains almost the same as that of SARS pathogen, and they had only to make minor changes to the original chemicals. Two were prepared and one went ahead for trials - Both of these were IV administered.
Then all of a sudden they started testing a different Oral candidate PF-07321332 last month.
There are a few other antivirals from the US, Canada, to Australia. Them seem to work in-vitro but it will take years for human trials to be over and get approved.
The Australian developed drug uses Gene-silencing RNA technology, destroying the COVID virus genome directly and stops the virus replication but expected to be approved by 2023. Time is the issue...
Meanwhile Nasal vaccine or a drug might show a better promise - because that''s where the infection begins. Many researchers are onto this too.
PS: Note : Sometimes where you start attacking the virus matters. I have mentioned this before. A well known instance is the Polio Vaccine. Poliovirus is spread through food or water contaminated with human excrement. The virus enters the body through the mucosa of the gut.
Professor Jonas Salk developed the vaccine from completely inactivated virus which was injected, somewhere in 1955.
Later, in 1960, Albert Sabin introduced a new polio vaccine, with a weakened poliovirus.. (not inactivated like the Salk vaccine)
But the most important thing to note was Sabin’s vaccine was swallowed, in the form of a sugar cube or a drop of liquid on a biscuit.
This method makes the vaccine into direct contact with the gut mucosa, with the result that it more effective than the Salk vaccine in blocking poliovirus infection.