UNC-Chapel Hill researcher Lisa Gralinski discusses an experimental oral drug that has shown potential to both prevent and treat COVID-19.
EXPECTED TO RECEIVE 100 DOSES. 313 STORES ARE EXPECTED TO ADMINISTER THEM IN NORTH CAROLINA. >>> WHILE MANY VACCINES ARE A GREAT THING, WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT TREATMENTS. RESEARCHERS AT UNC ARE INSTRUMENTAL AND THAT DEVELOPMENT, REMEMBER REMDESIVIR, THEY DID NOT STOP THERE, NOT BY ANY MEANS. TONIGHT WE LEARNED AN EXPERIMENTAL DRUG SHOWS PROMISING SIGNS OF BOTH PREVENTING AND TREATING COVID. DR. LISA GURINSKI IS WITH US. ON THE RESEARCH TEAM, DOCTOR, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. WHAT'S THE BIG TAKEAWAY FROM WHAT YOU'VE DONE THERE? >> Reporter: THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK. WHAT IS REALLY EXCITING ABOUT THIS DRUG IS IT'S AVAILABLE, SO IN AND OUT PATIENT SETTINGS. PEOPLE DON'T NEED TO BE ISOLATED. WE HOPE THIS COULD BE AVAILABLE TO MORE PEOPLE IN A MUCH SIMPLER MANNER ONCE THEY MAKE IT THROUGH TRIALS. >> WITH ALL THE INTEREST IN THE MUTATING VARIANTS, DOES THIS DRUG SHOW PROMISING SIGNS IN THAT REGARD? >> SO WE HAVEN'T TESTED IT, BUT THE MECHANISM OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THOSE VARIANTS AT ALL. THIS DRUG TARGETS THE WAY THE VIRUS REPLICATES ITSELF. THOSE SPECIFIC PROTEINS, COPYING IT, THE VARIANTS HAVE TO DO WITH THE SPIKE PROTEIN, WHICH HELPS THE VIRUS FINE TO AND INFECT OURSELVES, SO IT SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THE NOVEL VARIANTS AT ALL. >> JUST AMAZED AT ALL THE RESEARCH AND THE BREAKTHROUGH THERE. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON THIS SPECIFIC DRUG? >> AND SO THIS SPECIFIC DRUG WE STARTED TO WORK WITH BEFORE SARS 2 EVEN BECAME KNOWN TO US. WE HAD TESTED IT WITH OTHERS. AND WHEN COV-2 CAME OUT, WE HAD TO DEVELOP MORE. IT WORKS INCREDIBLY WELL. >> ALL RIGHT, THE LAST QUESTION, THE OBVIOUS ONE, WHEN MIGHT WE SEE THIS ON THE MARKET? WHEN MIGHT IT BE AVAILABLE FOR ME AND EVERYONE WATCHING? >> I WOULD HOPE SOME TIME LATER THIS YEAR IT'S BEEN IN PHASE TWO TRIALS AND NOW IT'S IN COMBINED PHASE TWO/THREE TRIALS, SO IT'S BEING PUSHED FORWARD. HOPEFULLY IT COULD BE ONE OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, EARLY DRUGS THAT BECOMES AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE PRETTY QUICKLY. >> DOCTOR, ALWAYS AMAZING TO TALK WITH YOU AND YOUR TEAM. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.
