You probably haven’t heard of the Pfizer drug Uptravi yet, but you will soon enough. After the company announced a new medicine designed to treat COVID-19 in mid-March, the world started paying attention.
The compound, known as PFIZER-VS-COVID-19, is essentially a vaccine against the novel coronavirus. It is designed to help the body’s immune system learn to fight off COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 80 drug companies have now developed a vaccine against the pandemic.
While the FDA has not yet approved any vaccines for COVID-19, it has fast-tracked PFIZER-VS-COVID-19 for investigation. In early April, the agency granted the drug a so-called ‘breakthrough therapy’ status. It is currently one of four experimental treatments being tested for the disease. One of the others is remdesivir, an antiviral drug that is being studied to treat COVID-19. The others are channelled antigen and an anti-TGF-beta antibody. The goal is to find a vaccine or treatment that is both safe and effective.
Uptravi’s Marketing Machine
Even before Pfizer had any experimental drugs to offer against COVID-19, it was busy developing ways to market the medicine. On March 18, 2020, the company launched an Ad campaign featuring actor Danny DeVito and a character from the classic comedy ‘Tootsie’ (1982). Titled “It’s Been a While, tootsie”, the ad campaign promotes Uptravi as an “immune system booster” that can be “used to help offset the effects of aging or […] exposure to [covid-19]”.
The following day, Paramount Pictures, a U.S.-based film studio, announced it had partnered with the pharmaceutical company to develop and produce a feature film based on the life of Dr. Thomas Andrew. The movie, titled ‘Tootsie’ and slated for release on June 25, 2022, will be based on DeVito’s character, Dr. Arnold Tootsie (1982–1998), an elderly widower who is inspired to undergo a sex change operation after watching an advertisement for “Tootsie’s” Viagra. He becomes Shelly, and the two fall in love in the process.
The film will also star Jessica Lange, who will reprise her role as his wife, Ginger, and John Malkovich, who will play Dr. Tootsie’s psychiatrist, Dr. Bernstein. In addition, the movie will be directed by Lee Daniels, whose previous credits include ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Precious’. Daniels is best known for revitalizing the career of actor Denzel Washington, whom he directed in the 2014 movie, ‘Roman Holiday’.
It’s clear that Pfizer was already thinking about how to market Uptravi even before it had a treatment to offer against COVID-19.
A Joke About Viagra
In addition to its work on COVID-19, Pfizer is also developing several drugs to treat chronic diseases. One potential candidate is SGLT2, an oral drug that helps the diabetic kidney remove glucose from the blood. It is known by the brand name ‘Kiilopride’ and was approved for use in the U.S. in 2018. The company is now studying the use of SGLT2 for treating COVID-19. In early April, it submitted a briefing book to the FDA outlining the results of a study that tested the drug in combination with the HIV medication, lopinavir/ritonavir in patients with COVID-19. So far, the FDA has not made any public statements regarding this submission.
More Than 80 Companies Are Developing A Vaccine For COVID-19
While Pfizer was busy developing treatments for COVID-19, other pharmaceutical companies jumped in to help as well. In early March, the WHO reported that nearly 80 pharmaceutical companies were working together to develop a vaccine. By mid-April, that figure had climbed to more than 100 drug companies.
In the middle of April, the FDA gave four pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Biogen and GlaxoSmithKline the ability to investigate their experimental drugs for treatment of COVID-19. All four have since received breakthrough therapy designation from the agency.
On April 17, 2020, the company revealed that its immunotherapy drug, CTLA4-Ig, was effective in boosting the immune systems of patients who took it in a Phase II clinical trial. The trial was conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the company’s vaccine team based at its R&D campus in New York City.
Later that same month, the company said it would begin enrolling patients in a Phase III clinical trial of its drug, BCG-COVID-19, designed to test its safety and efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in patients who have been recently exposed to the virus.
And on April 30, 2020, the company launched a global campaign to speed up the development of a vaccine for COVID-19. Called ‘One World, One Health’, the initiative will see Pfizer working with organizations such as the WHO and the global health community to find a cure for the pandemic. The company is also teaming up with pharma research firm, Modern Vaccines, to develop and manufacture a vaccine. Within the next six months, the company plans to have a vaccine ready for clinical trials in a handful of countries including the U.S.
With so many drug companies scrambling to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, the competition to be the first to test and introduce a vaccine will be fierce. However, given the pandemic’s overwhelming health and economic toll, one can only hope that by the time this ‘cure’ is found, there will be enough time for everyone to benefit from it.