A preliminary study shows that molnupiravir, an experimental antiviral drug, significantly reduced infectious virus in COVID-19 patients after five days of treatment.
The drug is being developed by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck, with the companies sharing the study's results on Saturday. Testing is ongoing, and if further results show the drug can treat COVID-19 patients exhibiting symptoms, it could be the first oral antiviral used to fight the disease, The Wall Street Journal reports.
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Carl Dieffenbach, director of the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Journal the study is "tantalizing and interesting, but it's not exactly 100 percent complete. What we need to confirm is that there's clinical benefit." So far, the only antiviral that has been authorized for use in COVID-19 patients is remdesivir, which studies have found modestly benefits hospitalized patients by shortening their stays.
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