new drug for corona virus

9 things you need to know about the new COVID19 Pillyal Medicine Medicine responding to Merck.Molnupiravir for COVID19 [originally published: Oct. 11, 2021.UPED: December 1stMany hailed the new drug as a potential game changer. “It definitely has the potential to be a really big breakthrough,” said Albert Shaw, MD, PhD, infectious disease specialist at Yale Medicine. “Other COVID19 treatments, such as remdesivir or monoclonal antibodies to the SARSCoV2 virus that causes COVID19, are given intravenously. This is a pill your doctor might write a prescription for, which you could collect. in a pharmacy Merck reported that the pill, called molnupiravir, worked so well in a clinical trial this year that it prematurely stopped the study so it could quickly approach the FDA and make the treatment available. An initial report showed that the drug reduces the risk of hospitalization and death by 50% in patients with mild to moderate illness, but a final analysis of the study published in November showed a reduction in this benefit. at 30% of the pill Additional steps are required to finalize an authorization.Shaw and other infectious disease experts to answer frequently asked questions about Merck's new COVID pill. How does the COVID19 (molnupiravir) pill work? It is important to note that the pill should be taken after symptoms of COVID19 have manifested themselves. study, molnupiravir was given to study participants as four capsules twice a day for five days, starting five days after patients first experienced symptoms of COVID19. When the drug enters the bloodstream, it blocks the ability of the SARSCoV2 virus to replicate, explains Dr. Shaw explains. The coronavirus uses RNA as genetic material. The structure of molnupiravir resembles the nucleosides (or chemical building blocks) used to make the RNA of the virus. The drug works by incorporating into RNA as it is synthesized. "This leads to the introduction of many mutations, or changes in the genetic code of RNA into viral RNA," explains Dr.Shaw. "And when that RNA is translated into viral proteins, those proteins contain too many mutations for the virus to work." Does molnupiravir have any side effects? According to the final analysis of the Merck clinical trial, the drug appears to have a clean safety profile, which means that there were no serious side effects in the study volunteers. Since molnupiravir works by disrupting the way the coronavirus replicates RNA, there could be no risk of a similar effect on human DNA or RNA. Merck is said to have data from lab studies indicating that molnupiravir does not cause mutations in humans, but "the FDA will obviously have to see and assess this safety data in the approval process," says Dr. Shaw. Dr Shaw notes that several approved antiviral drugs already widely used clinically, such as acyclovir and related drugs for herpesvirus infections and reverse transcriptase inhibitors for HIV infection, also work (through different mechanisms ) in HIV infection. interfere with the replication of viral DNA or RNA. .Yale Medicine infectious disease specialist Jaimie Meyer, MD, MS, noted that in its clinical trial, Merck did not test the drug on pregnant women. pregnant, but they also told the men enrolled in the study that they couldn't have unprotected sex with the women for a week after they finished their medication, ”she says. The concern could be that this drug interferes with the necessary RNA replication. for fetal development and cause birth defects. It will be important to clarify when this drug moves from clinical trials to market, he adds. Is molnupiravir similar to Tamiflu? Yes, this new pill is similar: in function, ease of use, and availability - to Tamiflu, the antiviral drug used to prevent severe flu symptoms. There is one key difference, however, says Dr Shaw. I cells instead of targeting the reproduction of viral RNA, ”he explains. Interestingly, Tamiflu can also be given as a single dose to prevent influenza infection, “as a post-exposure prophylaxis [PEP],” says Dr.Meyer, explaining how some people may be prescribed antiviral drugs after taking