NEW Drugs for COVID 19 Treatment and Prevention
NEW Drugs for COVID 19 Treatment and Prevention NEW Drugs for COVID 19 Treatment and Prevention Could an antiviral medication called Molnupiravir eliminate SARS-CoV2 from an infected person's nose and throat? This oral medication, taken twice a day for five days, was initially developed to treat influenza. Molnupiravir seems to also be effective against SARS-CoV-2. A phase 2a study has recently been completed. It enrolled 202 non-hospitalized adults with signs and symptoms of COVID 19 and confirmed infection. At baseline, 42% of participants had detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 virus when cultured. The study had three treatment groups' arms, taking 200 mg, 400 mg, and 800 mg of Molnupiravir, respectively, and a control group. Participants' noses were swabbed on days 3,5,7,14, and 28. A reduction in SARS-CoV-2 was noted in all treatment groups but was only significant in the 800 mg group. A much larger phase 3 trial is underway with 1300 participants. Molnupiravir works by