Merck says COVID-19 antiviral pill is effective against variants

Molnupiravir, an experimental COVID-19 oral antiviral drug, could potentially be effective against all known variants of the coronavirus, according to its producer, a pharmaceutical company called Merck.

Molnupiravir works by targeting the enzyme needed for the virus to reproduce and introduce errors into the genetic code of the virus. This lowers the patient’s viral load, shortening the duration of illness and alleviating severe symptoms.

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According to Timothy Sheahan, a virologist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who helped develop these therapies, “Oral antivirals have the potential not only to reduce the duration of COVID-19 syndrome, but also have the potential to limit transmission to people in your household if you are ill. ”

The drug could be just as effective as the virus continues to evolve and different strains develop.

Molnupiravir is said to be used after diagnosis and therefore is not a substitute for vaccination, but it can help reduce transmission.

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At last week’s annual meeting of infectious disease organizations, Merck presented an analysis of its findings on molnupiravir.

In a trial earlier this year, the company recruited out-of-hospital COVID-19 patients who had symptoms for more than five days and were at risk for complications from covid. When treated with molnupiravir, none of the patients tested positive after five days, while 24% of the placebo patients did.

The drug is currently in phase III trials and Merck plans to complete the third phase in early November.

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Pfizer is working on its own oral antiviral, as are Roche and Atea Pharmaceuticals.