Covid, Di Pierri: “With antiviral treatments at home, but only in the first phase”

“It is human intelligence that puts a piece of it.” Giovanni Di Perri summarizes with a simple sentence the antiviral with a complicated name: Molnupiravir in an interview with Repubblica. The infectious disease specialist at the University of Turin is the scientific consultant for the phase three trial at Amedeo di Savoia. The drug arriving in one to two months has a 50% efficacy against covid. Is it a glass half empty or half full? “The effectiveness of an antiviral does not lie only in its chemical formulation. Ease of taking is a very important factor. Covid in the first 6-7 days is a viral disease. It is at this stage that the virus multiplies in the body. . Then it becomes something different: an inflammatory disease, when severe symptoms occur. This means that antivirals, designed to block the replication of the virus, must be given in the first stage of the disease or they become useless. ” Are quick pills safe? “Tests in vitro, on animals and now on humans have shown no side effects. Of course, large-scale use is different, and safety will have to be carefully evaluated. But if we have a drug that for its simplicity can be kept at home and taken at the first symptoms, removing the obstacle of the general practitioner out of the way, we will greatly increase the probability that Covid does not take on serious forms “.