A blessed Covid drug does not reduce the risk of dying or being hospitalized, says a study.
Molnupiravir was originally branded “breakthrough” when it became the first scientifically proven home pill to treat Covid in the winter of 2021.
Despite the new findings, researchers insist the drug, which the UK spent £1bn to buy, still has a problem.
The results of a large study found that it still helped infected patients recover faster, by about four days on average.
Scientists have claimed that the drug molnupiravir, previously reported to reduce hospitalizations in Covid patients, in fact does not
According to Oxford University researchers, vaccinated participants who received molnupiravir took nine days to fight off the disease.
More than 25,000 vaccinated people took part in the PANORAMIC study, which aimed to identify which higher-risk populations are most likely to benefit from new antiviral treatments against the virus.
Participants had to be affected by symptoms within the last five days to participate.
They were either 50+ and healthy, or between the ages of 18-50 with underlying health problems.
Half received twice-daily molnupiravir tablets to take at home. The others received only standard care.
Professor Chris Butler, co-principal investigator of the study, said the recovery time results were “highly significant” and “people who reported getting better were much more likely to stay better”.
Professor Chris Butler (pictured), the study’s co-principal investigator, said the recovery time results were “very significant” and that “people who said they were better were much more likely to stay better”.
However, the main aim of the study was to see if it reduced the risk of hospitalization or death due to Covid.
Only one percent of both groups died or were hospitalized, according to the results published in the medical journal The Lancet.
The UK was the first country to approve molnupiravir for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid in patients at risk, but the European Medicines Agency has yet to approve the drug.
Professor Butler said the drug could have other benefits, such as: B. faster recovery time and less follow-up with health services.
He said: “This could ease the burden on UK health services by treating selected patients at a time of high disease burden and pressure on essential services at home.”
But British watchdogs oppose the drug because of the cost.
Molnupiravir is one of the more expensive antiviral drugs used to treat Covid. A seven-day course costs around US$700, which equates to £577.
Professor Richard Hobbs (pictured) said the fact that there was “no additional benefit from molnupiravir” in terms of risk of hospitalization and death supported the importance of vaccination
Professor Richard Hobbs, Head of Oxford Primary Care and co-principal investigator, said: “These key results from 25,000 people in this first PANORAMIC result show that the majority of patient groups at moderate to high risk of worsening Covid outcomes, molnupiravir improved only symptomatically.”
He said the fact that molnupiravir has “no added benefit” in terms of risk of hospitalization and death supports the importance of vaccination.
“The main treatment is still vaccination. This is the mainstay of therapy,” Professor Hobbs said.
Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, co-author of the study, said: “Although molnupiravir initially appeared to work well in reducing hospital admissions in patients with Covid, these were patients who had not been vaccinated.
“This latest study replicated the practice in the highly vaccinated population and showed that the vaccine’s protection is so strong that the drug has no clear benefit in terms of further reducing hospitalizations and deaths.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
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