Antiviral drug approved for treatment of Covid 19

The American pharmaceutical company Merk & Co have worked with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to manufacture Molnupiravir, a type of medication that can be used in treating Covid 19. This gets in the way of the replication process thereby stopping the covid 19 virus from multiplying, hence minimising the impact of disease.

This is the pioneering oral treatment that is effective against Covid 19 and has recently been authorised by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency). The approval extends to those who have “mild to moderate” symptoms alongside a minimum of one determinant for developing serious illness.

So far, a series of medical tests suggest that Molnupiravir has the biggest impact when taken at initial stages of the virus, which is why the MHRA are suggesting that individuals take it as soon as possible after a positive Covid 19 test, or within 5 days from when the patient starts developing symptoms.

The UK health and social secretary, Sajid Javid said “Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for COVID-19. This will be a game-changer for the most vulnerable and the immunosuppressed, who will soon be able to receive the ground-breaking treatment.”

In October, the health and social secretary revealed that the government has ordered 480,000 doses of the new treatment, as well as a further ¼ million doses of a different antiviral developed by Pfizer- called PF-07321332/ritonavir.

MHRA’s chief executive, June Raine, said “It is also the world’s first approved antiviral for this disease that can be taken by mouth rather than administered intravenously. This is important, because it means it can be administered outside of a hospital setting, before COVID-19 has progressed to a severe stage.” With no compromises on quality, safety and effectiveness, the public can trust that the MHRA has conducted a robust and thorough assessment of the data.”

An unpublished trial revealed that Molnupiravir has the potential to decrease the chance of hospitalisation by approximately 50%. Just over 7% of trial participants who were given the new treatment died or were hospitalised in a month (29 days), this is half the number of the patients given the placebo (14.1%).