Lauren Dempsey, MS in Biomedicine and Law, RN, FISM News
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A new oral treatment for COVID has shown promise as scientists and doctors seek to find new paths for treatment as the world is poised to move into an endemic phase of the virus. This is particularly noteworthy as vaccination rates have waned across the country and numerous studies have shown the vaccine has limited durability and efficacy.
Molnupiravir, being sold under the brand name LAGEVIRO, completed its phase 3, double-blind clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the new antiviral medication.
The study included 96 people in the placebo group and 92 patients taking the antiviral medication. All of those in the study group were unvaccinated. The researchers used PCR tests to measure the viral load of the patients on days one, three, five, ten, fifteen, and twenty-nine. By day three of the trial, there were no traces of the coronavirus detected in the patients using molnupiravir, and on day five no one in the molnupiravir group showed any signs of infection.
In comparison, the placebo group had a 21.8% infection rate on day three and a 2.2% infection rate on day five. On day 10 both groups did not have any detectable trace of the virus.
In a press release, Dr. Julie Strizki noted that the result of the study validates previous research showing that a 5-day treatment course of 800 mg of molnupiravir taken two times a day resulted “in a more rapid decline in viral RNA and faster elimination of infectious virus than placebo.” She added that “this study provides additional evidence that molnupiravir helps those infected clear SARS-CoV-2 faster than placebo and supports MOVe-OUT’s primary finding that molnupiravir can lower the risk of progression to serious illness in this high-risk cohort.”
Researchers note the medication regimen must be started within five days of experiencing symptomatic COVID-19 infection to be effective.
The research also showed that the medication was effective against new variants of the virus. This finding is particularly noteworthy, as the Biden administration has stopped the funding of monoclonal antibody treatment across the United States.