Facts You Must Know
Salt composition: Molnupiravir
Dosage form: Capsules
Packaging: Strip
Administration route: Oral
Prescription required: Yes
Storage: Store at room temperature.
Shelf life: 18 months
Common brand names: Monuvir and Lagevrio
Indication: Adult patients with COVID-19 who are at risk of developing severe symptoms
Recommended dose: 800mg dose every 12 hours for 5 days
Pediatric Patients: Not recommended for use in patients aged below 19 years
What is Molnupiravir?
Molnupiravir is a prescription medicine that is sold under different brand names including Monuvir by SKF Pharmaceuticals and Lagevrio by Merck, Sharp & Dohme Pharmaceuticals. This medicine is available as capsules. It is being investigated for use in patients with COVID-19. Luckily, this medicine received approval for use on October 4, 2021, by the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), UK. Monuvir is a type of mutagenic ribonucleoside drug.
Molnupiravir works by causing viral RNA to mutate. It is an orally bioavailable medicine that belongs to a class of wide spectrum of antiviral medications. It is initially known as EIDD-2801. This drug was invented at Emory University by scientists as an effective regimen for the treatment of the influenza virus.
In vivo, molnupiravir is hydrolyzed to N4-hydroxycytidine, which is phosphorylated in tissue to the active 5'-triphosphate form and integrated into the genome of new virions, leading to viral error catastrophe (the accumulation of inactivating mutations). It was also discovered that a remdesivir-resistant mutant mouse hepatitis virus exhibits increased sensitivity to N4-hydroxycytidine.
A clinical trial was done to determine the best dose and safety of this drug in patients with early SARS-CoV-2. Molnupiravir was well tolerated at 300, 600, and 800 mg dosages, according to the findings. There were no serious negative effects reported by the patients. Participants that received 300, 600, and 800 mg twice a day for 5 days demonstrated appropriate tolerance. The common adverse effects associated with the administration of Molnupiravir are dizziness, headache, fever, diarrhea, nausea, skin rash, hives, itching, swelling, etc.