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(TJV) Researchers have suggested that the widely-used anti-Covid drug, molnupiravir, may have caused changes in the virus, but there is no evidence indicating that these alterations have resulted in more dangerous variants.
Merck’s antiviral medication, which is administered orally over a five-day treatment course, primarily induces mutations in the virus to weaken and eradicate it. Nevertheless, a recent study led by UK researchers has revealed that molnupiravir can lead to the creation of notably mutated but still viable viruses.
The lead author, Theo Sanderson, a geneticist at London’s Francis Crick Institute, emphasized that there is currently no proof that molnupiravir has generated more transmissible or virulent viruses, and none of the global virus variants can be attributed to the drug’s use.
The study, published in the journal Nature, involved an analysis of over 15 million genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid. Researchers identified a specific “mutational signature” in patients they believe is associated with molnupiravir. In 2022, as the drug was widely prescribed, there was a notable increase in patients exhibiting this mutational signature, particularly in countries where the drug was commonly used like the United States, UK, Australia, and Japan, while it was less prevalent in countries where the drug was not approved, such as Canada and France. Merck disputed the study, characterizing the findings as “circumstantial associations.”
Sanderson countered this claim, asserting that they had used multiple lines of evidence to confidently link molnupiravir to the mutational signature. This included an analysis of treatment data in England, which showed that over 30 percent of mutation events involving the signature occurred in individuals who had taken molnupiravir, despite only 0.04 percent of the English population having been prescribed the drug in 2022.
Unlike other anti-Covid drugs, molnupiravir’s mechanism of action could lead to these specific mutations, according to Sanderson.
Experts not involved in the study supported the British researchers’ findings. They considered the research to be highly significant and well-conducted. While there is a strong link between molnupiravir and the occasional limited spread of highly mutated virus genomes, it remains unclear if these mutations affect the virus’s behavior, such as its transmissibility, pathogenicity, or susceptibility to immunity.
The experts clarified that molnupiravir is not a danger to individuals currently taking the drug, and they did not recommend abandoning its use entirely. Molnupiravir is being used less frequently by itself as its effectiveness against vaccinated individuals at low risk has diminished. Instead, it may still hold value when used in combination with other drugs.
Sales of molnupiravir, sold under the brand name Lagevrio, reached over $20 billion in the previous year. However, sales dropped by 82 percent in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the same period the previous year, according to Merck.
