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Were they wrong about Molnupiravir? Molnupiravir was originally developed to treat influenza at Emory University by the university's drug innovation company, Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE), but was reportedly abandoned for mutagenicity concerns when used in Covid patients. Molnupiravir, sold under the brand name Lagevrio, is an antiviral medication that inhibits the replication of certain RNA viruses. It was used to treat COVID-19 in those infected by SARS-CoV-2. It is taken by mouth. For several years, Emory scientists had been working on EIDD-2801, a drug candidate with potential as a treatment for several highly infectious and worrisome viral diseases, including influenza and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus, some of which are biodefense threats. When the pandemic began, the team quickly turned its attention to developing EIDD-2801 as a treatment for COVID-19. DRIVE licensed EIDD-2801, now known as molnupiravir, to Ridgeback Biotherapeutics in 2020, which conducted the first human clinical trials and then partnered with Merck. In October 2021 the UK government announced the procurement of 480 000 courses of molnupiravir (as well as 250 000 courses of the Pfizer antiviral Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir)). Guess who they went with.... PAXLOVID. 😏 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molnupiravir https://drugdiscovery.emory.edu/molnupiravir/index.html https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o926

Molnupiravir - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org

About Molnupiravir | Emory University | Atlanta GA drugdiscovery.emory.edu

Covid-19: What is the evidence for the antiviral molnupiravir? Merck’s drug was originally claimed to halve hospital admissions and deaths in people with covid-19, leading some governments to stockpile it as the pandemic continued. Andy Extance looks at the published evidence for its effectiveness Molnupiravir (marketed as Lagevrio) is an antiviral drug, slightly modified from a compound known as NHC (β-d-N4-hydroxycytidine) that a team at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, first described in 2003.1 It is available as hard capsules that are swallowed and absorbed from the gut so is easy to take at home. That contrasts with some other covid-19 drugs such as the monoclonal antibody tocilizumab or the antiviral remdesivir, which must be administered by intravenous infusion in hospitals. In October 2021 the UK government announced the procurement of 480 000 courses of molnupiravir (as well as 250 000 courses of the Pfizer antiviral Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir)). Molnupiravir had been due to enter clinical trials against influenza, but during the pandemic Emory University struck a deal with the biotechnology company Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to test it as a treatment for covid-19.2 Ridgeback then partnered with the pharmaceutical giant Merck in May 2020 for clinical trials and scale-up.3 Antiviral drugs for acute respiratory infections need to be used as early as possible after infection if they are to help prevent disease progression, hospital admissions, and deaths. This normally means within three days, but the drug may still be beneficial up to five days after onset of symptoms. The current advice is to give 800 mg of molnupiravir (four 200 mg tablets) every 12 hours for five days, within five days of symptom onset.4 Like many antivirals, its chemical structure resembles the nucleotide bases that link together to make the long RNA chains that are a virus’s genetic material. After ingestion, molnupiravir breaks down to … bmj.com