A new study published in The Lancet has found that Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug used to treat mild to moderate COVID-19, may help speed up recovery from the virus but does not reduce the hospitalization or death rate in higher-risk vaccinated adults, The Epoch Times reports.
Molnupiravir, developed by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck & Co., is taken orally twice a day for five days within five days of symptoms onset.
It works by inhibiting the virus’s replication, keeping viral levels low in the body and reducing the severity of the illness.
The study, which was conducted during the time when the Omicron variant was dominant, included more than 25,700 participants in the UK who were aged 50 or older or had relevant comorbidities and had been unwell with confirmed COVID-19 for five days or less.
Half of the participants received an 800 milligram dose of Molnupiravir twice daily for five days, while the other half received only usual hospital care.
The mean age of participants was 56.6 years and 94% had received at least three doses of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
Researchers followed up with the participants via an online diary or telephone call within 28 days and found that hospitalizations or deaths occurred in 1% of the participants who received Molnupiravir, compared to 1% in the group who received usual care.
However, the study did find that participants who received Molnupiravir recovered faster, had a higher rate of early sustained recovery, and sought fewer general practitioner consultations compared to those who received usual care.
The median recovery time for participants who received Molnupiravir was nine days, compared to 15 days for those who received usual care.
“This analysis… showed that the early addition of Molnupiravir to usual care did not reduce hospital admissions or death (which were low in both treatment groups),” the study authors stated. “However, participants in the Molnupiravir plus usual care group recovered faster than those in the usual care group, had a higher rate of early sustained recovery, and had fewer general practitioner consultations.”