COVID-19’s first appearance in the year 2019 has changed the way the world works. Even two years after the first case, researchers and scientists keep working tirelessly to find a cure against the virus. COVID-19 vaccines, vitamin cocktails, and more… but current studies have shown a new contender: Molnupiravir.
Will this new drug put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic?
What is Molnupiravir?
Molnupiravir is an oral antiviral drug given in the form of a small pill. It was first developed by Emory University and its non-profit company Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE). The purpose of the drug was for treating the flu.
The drug was later acquired by the pharmaceutical companies Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck & Co. This acquisition started the path for research to treat the Coronavirus disease.
In 2020, just when the pandemic was starting, its effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 was tested. This was followed by a number of studies and clinical trials to understand how it performed inside the human body. Chronic diseases and other risk factors were taken into consideration risk factors like chronic diseases.
On November 4, 2021, Molnupiravir was approved by the UK medicines regulator as an at-home antiviral treatment against COVID-19.
How Does Molnupiravir Work?
It is claimed to be effective. But how exactly?
This compound acts by pretending to be a basic component of the RNA of the virus. Once administered, it is transformed in the body into a misleading ribonucleoside that the virus’s polymerase enzyme inadvertently incorporates into new strands of viral RNA in place of cytidine.
What does this mean?
Basically, it tricks the virus and inserts errors in the virus’s genetic code, so when it tries to replicate, it has errors that don’t allow it to reproduce correctly.
Translating this into how it actually works in the body, Molnupiravir stops the ability of COVID-19 of reproducing and transforming into a more severe disease, reducing the risk of hospitalization and death. But by how much?
Results of Molnupiravir Against COVID-19
It’s time to talk about numbers and what many studies have shown.
The study of the drug is divided into 3 phases with Phase 3 being the most important one. The study took place in different countries like Argentina, Colombia, Canada, the USA, Russia, Spain, Italy, and mainly the UK.
Phase 3 started in August 2021 with 1,550 patients. All were confirmed mild or moderate COVID-19 and symptom onset (patients with symptoms).
Another requirement was to have at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease, which is known as a high-risk factor.
After administrating the correct dosage of Merck & Co. drug to all patients, researchers were able to conclude that Molnupiravir can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 50% approximately.
In the results shown, 14.1% of placebo-treated patients were hospitalized or died due to COVID-19. For Molnupiravir the percentage of participants hospitalized or dead was 7.3%.
Molnupiravir vs. Ivermectin
Is Molnupiravir the new wonder drug against Coronavirus? All resources seem to agree on this.
Nevertheless, there’s another option to treat the disease that has shown not only positive results but better when compared to Molnupiravir. That option is Ivermectin.
We have a full article where we explain everything you need to know about this drug, from its development to research about its effectiveness against Coronavirus and the most common questions, but we will give you a condensed summary.
Ivermectin was developed in 1970 to treat a parasitic disease called Onchocerciasis, which was extremely prevalent during this time. This drug was also proved to work on other parasitic infections like Strongyloidiasis. It also works against external parasites like head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.
The results and efficiency were so positive that its developers won the Medicine Nobel Prize in 2015.
How did this parasitic drug become relevant for the treatment of COVID-19?
In different trials, Ivermectin has shown the ability to inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in cell cultures. This means that Ivermectin restrains the reproduction of the virus, while Molnupiravir becomes a false part of the virus to stop the reproduction.
Both are valuable resources to fight COVID-19, but the effectiveness that Ivermecting has is higher than Molnupiravir.
The first one has a reduction in hospitalization and deaths of 75%, while the Merck & Co. drug does it with 50%, as explained above.
Also, Ivermectin is a drug that has more than 50 years in the market, is FDA-approved, extremely safe and hasn’t shown any severe adverse events even when overdosing. On the other hand, Molnupiravir is a new drug, and it isn’t FDA-approved.
Contrary to what many people think, Ivermectin is recommended as a drug for the treatment of Coronavirus by well-known organizations like FLCCC, https://covid19criticalcare.com/covid-19-protocols/math-plus-protocol/and the Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Is Molnupiravir the Wonder Drug for COVID-19?
There are many opinions about Molnupiravir, but something to keep in mind is that efforts made towards fighting COVID-19 and stopping its antiviral activity is, on the whole, good news.
With more research, studies, and experiments, the healthcare community will build the perfect protocol when treating coronavirus.
The attention Molnupiravir is getting is not unjustified, but other options currently available in the market, like Ivermectin, are proven to be more effective. However, the misinformation about it is affecting the way doctors and healthcare providers deal with coronavirus.
If you or someone you know would like more information, please contact us at 210-886-8031 or email us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help you.
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