Molnupiravir: The real game-changer for COVID-19?

Shagufta Hasan, Amity University Kolkata

 The world has had hard knocks with COVID-19 vaccines but no drug seems to give full coverage against the virus, but now, it may hope for good news.

A new drug, Molnupiravir, has been developed by Merck & Co. Inc in association with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, a biotechnology company, focused on the research of emerging infectious diseases. Although it is still in the trial Phase 2/3, results expected in May 2021, it has already started showing its effect, only in a positive way.    

The researchers of New York, very promisingly say that they have discovered the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Covid-19) with a new oral, antiviral drug, Molnupiravir (MK-4482/EIDD-2801), which completely suppresses the virus transmission within a day. 

Molnupiravir (formerly EIDD-2801) works as an oral nucleoside parallel that has shown broad-spectrum activity against RNA viruses, including influenza and coronavirus like SARS.

Ridgeback Bio issued a license for the drug in March 2020, from Emory University. At the time, the company was developing it for influenza, but during the trial, it got “immediately recognized” as a potential placebo for treating COVID-19. Merck then signed up with Biotech to carry out its trial, last summer.

Lead investigator of the EIDD-2801, 2003 study, said the study that showed a rapid reduction in the fatal virus infection among patients with early COVID-19 treated with Molnupiravir, is promising.

A chief medical officer at Merck Research Labs says that they continue to make progress in phase 2/3 clinical programs evaluating Molnupiravir in both outpatient and hospital settings and plan to give out updates when qualified.

The drug is reportedly being tested on early COVID patients who are non-hospitalized and not on older adults. As it can be straightaway consumed, the medicament can be commenced for potentially three-fold benefit: (a) inhibit patients’ headway to acute disease, (b) condense the infectious phase to ease the socio-economic toll of prolonged patient seclusion and (c) rapidly still a local epidemic.

Study authors from Georgia State University stated it was the first time that they were trying for an orally available drug to rapidly block SARS-CoV-2 transmission. They further added that the properties of the drug make it a powerful candidate in fighting the deadly virus.

As mentioned, the drug is now in the advanced stage of trial 2/3, and thus, it cannot be released in the global market, full fledged. This is because no vaccine would be authorized for commercial use unless the expected standards of safety, quality and efficacy are met.

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Source: https://in.news.yahoo.com/merck-says-study-shows-covid-061227231.html

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