Several studies indicate that molnupiravir, an oral antiviral drug, could be effective against COVID-19. Now a study to be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) has found evidence that this drug is capable of eliminating actively infectious SARS-CoV-2 on the third day of starting to take it. .
Molnupiravir has broad activity against the family of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and its variants such as omicron. Its effectiveness has been tested in a randomized double-blind phase ⅔ MOVe-OUT trial, which has resulted in good results against adult patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 who were at risk of developing severe disease, according to point from the pharmaceutical company MSD (of Merck).
Studies have shown that for molnupavir to be effective, its intake must begin within the first five days from the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. PCR tests were also performed to determine the viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on days one (baseline), three, five (end of treatment visit), 10, 15 and 29.
Molnupiravir approved in the US, UK, Australia and Japan
The results showed that on the third day of molnupiravir treatment, the coronavirus was not detected in any of the 92 study participants who had infectious virus at the start of follow-up, compared to 21.8% of those who took placebo. In addition, on day five no antiviral-treated people had virus detected compared to 2.2% of the placebo group. Finally, on day 10, there were no positive cases.
For the drug molnupiravir to be effective against SARS-CoV-2, it must be taken within the first five days after the onset of symptoms
The World Health Organization (WHO) had already announced on March 3, 2022 that it included this antiviral on its list of recommended treatments against COVID-19, a drug that has already been approved for emergency use in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan.
Lagevrio has been the name under which the drug developed by MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics has been registered, which is still in the process of being submitted to global regulatory authorities for authorization or approval for emergency use in other countries, such as by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), then it would be pending authorization to start marketing.
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