Last week, researchers from the SCORPIO-PEP Study Team published an important paper in the New England Journal of Medicine on ensitrelvir for COVID-19 post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The study was led by
Last week, researchers from the SCORPIO-PEP Study Team published an important paper in the New England Journal of Medicine on ensitrelvir for COVID-19 post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The study was led b
Last week, researchers from the SCORPIO-PEP Study Team published an important paper in the New England Journal of Medicine on ensitrelvir for COVID-19 post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The study was led by ISRV Deputy Chair Professor Frederick G. Hayden of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, alongside an international group of investigators and collaborators from Shionogi.
Last week, researchers from the SCORPIO-PEP Study Team published an important paper in the New England Journal of Medicine on ensitrelvir for COVID-19 post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
The study was led by ISRV Deputy Chair Professor Frederick G. Hayden of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, alongside an international group of investigators and collaborators from Shionogi.
Ensitrelvir, an oral antiviral developed by Shionogi, was previously approved in Japan for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in March 2024. Based on the results of the phase 3 SCORPIO-PEP trial, it was also approved in Japan in March 2026 for post-exposure prophylaxis following household exposure to COVID-19. Approval for PEP is currently under consideration by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States and by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The SCORPIO-PEP trial showed that a 5-day course of ensitrelvir, started within 72 hours of exposure to an index person with COVID-19, significantly reduced the incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among household contacts through 10 days, the typical risk period for household transmission. COVID-19 occurred in 2.9% of participants receiving ensitrelvir compared with 9.0% receiving placebo, representing a 67% reduction.
The publication has attracted substantial international media attention, including coverage in Nature under the headline “At last, a pill that can prevent COVID after exposure to infected people”. The article highlighted the potential importance of post-exposure prophylaxis for vulnerable populations, including care home residents, those with comorbidities,and healthcare workers.
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