In a new breakthrough, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of a new COVID-19 antiviral drug, Molnupiravir.
A second anti-viral treatment is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. The drug, Molnupiravir, works by disrupting the way the virus copies the genetic materials. The FDA insists the medication should only be used in patients from 18 years and above with moderate-to-severe symptoms of Covid.
Molnupiravir is the second Covid drug that can be taken at home as pills. It can be taken twice a day for five days.
Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, insisted that the treatment is limited to scenarios where other FDA – approved drugs for Covid are not available or appropriate. The drug should be used for patients above 18 years, as it can interfere with bone and cartilage growth.
Pregnant women are also advised to avoid the drug, as it can harm the fetus.
This is coming shortly after the approval of another Covid-19 medication by Pfizer. The Pfizer drug called Paxlovid works by disrupting the action of a key viral enzyme called protease. It resulted in about a 90% reduction of hospitalization and risks of death in clinical studies using a large pool.
The Pfizer pill, Paxlovid, is the first of its kind, since the pill can be taken at home. According to the FDA, it should be taken 3 to five days after the symptoms of Covid.
The Paxlovid is a combination of ritonavir and a new molecule developed to stop severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The drug has some unpleasant side effects such as complications of liver and kidney conditions.
People who have undiagnosed or uncontrolled HIV infection can also face issues such as drug resistance.
