Oral drug effective against Covid in hamsters, now in final stages of human trials: Study

‘An orally-administered antiviral drug initially developed to treat influenza can significantly decrease novel coronavirus levels in hamsters and is in the final stages of human trials, holding out promise of a pill to combat COVID-19, say researchers.

‘Scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US and the University of Plymouth in the UK found that MK-4482, also called Molnupiravir, was effective when provided up to 12 hours before or 12 hours after infection with SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The drug can also decrease damage it causes to lungs, states the study conducted on hamsters.

‘Published in the journal Nature Communications on April 16, it suggests that treatment with MK-4482 could potentially mitigate high-risk exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and might be used to treat established SARS-CoV-2 infection alone or in combination with other agents. There are currently no drugs suitable for high-risk exposure use against SARS-CoV-2, the researchers said.’

Read here (Economic Times, Times of India, Apr 19, 2021)

Orally delivered MK-4482 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in the Syrian hamster model

‘The COVID-19 pandemic progresses unabated in many regions of the world. An effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 that could be administered orally for use following high-risk exposure would be of substantial benefit in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Herein, we show that MK-4482, an orally administered nucleoside analog, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in the Syrian hamster model. The inhibitory effect of MK-4482 on SARS-CoV-2 replication is observed in animals when the drug is administered either beginning 12 h before or 12 h following infection in a high-risk exposure model. These data support the potential utility of MK-4482 to control SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans following high-risk exposure as well as for treatment of COVID-19 patients.’

Read here (Nature, Apr 16, 2021)