Molnupiravir drug and its side effects were discussed a lot with the start of the use of the drug in question. Approved for medical use in the UK in November 2021, it is used as an antiviral drug that inhibits the replication of certain RNA viruses. In addition, according to studies, it has been confirmed that Molnupiravir is a drug that prevents the virus from reproducing itself. So what is Molnupiravir and what is Molnupiravir used for?
WHAT IS MOLNUPIRAVIR?
Molnupiravir can be described as an antiviral drug that inhibits the replication of certain RNA viruses and is used to treat COVID-19 in those infected with SARS-CoV-2. Molnupiravir was approved for medical use in the UK in November 2021.
The drug’s effectiveness against the flu was in the testing phase last year. Some time after the outbreak occurred, the effect of Molnupiravir against coronavirus was studied. In some experiments on animals, it was determined that the drug neutralized Covid-19 within 24 hours.
No infectious virus was found in any of the patients after treatment with Molnupiravir twice a day. As the final stage, Phase-3 trials were started. While it was thought that he would be successful at this point, he also had hesitations. Working as a principal researcher at the Jackson Laboratory Institute in the USA, Immunology expert Prof. Dr. Derya Forgetz says, “It is now certain that molnupiravir is a drug that prevents the virus from reproducing on its own,” and says that it prevents severe disease by 50 percent and deaths by nearly 100 percent. Not forgetting also shares the following information about the success of the drug in Phase-3 studies and the subsequent developments:
“The Phase-3 study of the drug was very important. Because the severe course of the disease and whether it prevents deaths was being tested. Two groups were used for this. They gave the drug Molnupiravir to the first group. The other group was the control group, known as the ‘placebo’ group, that is, the group that was not given any medication. But neither the giver nor the recipient knew this.”
HOW TO USE MOLNUPIRAVIR MEDICINE?
prof. Dr. Yavuz said, “In clinical studies, it has been shown that the effect is high in people whose symptoms are started early in the first 5 days. This is a very critical thing. Because we already know this from the very beginning of the epidemic, if started early, drugs can be successful in all viral infections, we know this from flu. We will give the drug to patients who are in their first 5 days. Also, it will not be given to all patients, but only to the group with the highest risk of dying from Kovid-19. The group with the highest risk is the elderly, over 65 years of age, etc. This drug will be used in those groups by prioritizing accordingly. When new drugs come into use, the effectiveness and safety of these drugs will continue to be followed through clinical studies, as in the rest of the world.”
Stating that the effectiveness and reliability of Molnupiravir has been demonstrated for Covid, Prof. Dr. Yavuz continued his words as follows:
“There are certain groups that will suffer the most from Covid-19, especially the elderly, those who are immunocompromised, those who have cancer treatment, those who have had an organ transplant, or those who have advanced HIV infection, that is, those with very low CD4 levels or those with congenital immunodeficiency. Risky groups. Even if these people have mild symptoms for once, Omicron can start mildly anyway, it has a milder course by 25 percent compared to others, they should definitely get tested. Because the treatment you start after 5 days does not make any sense. Its study was already done, “This drug is not effective in those who start treatment after the next day. Therefore, if you have symptoms, if you are in the severe pass group, getting the test done early is very critical for the benefit of the drug for you. We recommend this group of patients to go and have the test done, not just a cold.”