A worker holds a bottle of Merck & Co.’s molnupiravir antiviral medication in a warehouse in Shoham, Israel, on Jan. 18, 2022.
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A recent study released on Monday has raised concerns about the widely used antiviral Covid pill developed by Merck. The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, suggests that the pill can cause mutations in the virus, which can potentially accelerate the evolution of Covid. This finding has led to increased scrutiny on the effectiveness of the treatment, known as molnupiravir.
Molnupiravir works by introducing mutations in Covid’s genetic information, weakening or destroying the virus. However, the study found that there are cases where Covid can survive the treatment, resulting in mutated versions of the virus that have been found to spread to other patients.
The researchers analyzed 15 million Covid genomes and observed an increase in mutations in 2022 after the introduction of molnupiravir in many countries. It is important to note that there is no evidence suggesting that molnupiravir has produced more transmissible or severe variants of Covid.
The findings of the study carry significance for regulators who are evaluating the risks and benefits of molnupiravir. Theo Sanderson, the lead author of the study and a researcher at the Francis Crick Institute in London, commented on the importance of these findings on X (formerly Twitter).
Merck, the pharmaceutical company behind molnupiravir, disputed the study’s conclusions, stating that the researchers relied on circumstantial associations and lacked documented evidence. According to a spokesperson for Merck, the mutations analyzed in the study were associated with sporadic cases and were uncommon.
This study comes at a time when Covid is resurging, primarily due to emerging strains of the virus. However, the use of molnupiravir as a Covid treatment has declined this year. Sales of the drug have dropped by 83% compared to the same period last year.
Molnupiravir has been the subject of controversy due to its ability to cause genetic mutations. The FDA recommends against using the drug during pregnancy due to potential fetal harm, and it is not authorized for use in patients under 18 years old.
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