HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessThis drug works better than Remdesivir against COVID - the US has...

This drug works better than Remdesivir against COVID – the US has already secured 1.7 million doses

Published on

Better than remdesivir: have researchers finally found the pill against Covid?

It was supposed to be a cure for the flu. In fact, molnupiravir is shown to be effective against Sars-CoV-2. How it will stop the coronavirus has so far been unclear. Researchers in Göttingen have now deciphered the mechanism. It tricks the virus into errors and works in two phases.

It probably works better than remdesivir: molnupiravir. And it’s worth remembering this complicated name. The drug could become important for Covid therapy. In studies, it slowed the increase in Sars-CoV-2. It is currently in phase III of the study, in which it is being tested on thousands of patients. It has come a long way on the way to the anti-corona drug – and a beacon of hope. Because in addition to the effective vaccines, doctors are counting on the fact that they can fight Covid-19 with more resources.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen and the Julius Maximilians University (JMU) in Würzburg have now clarified why molnupiravir helps better than the drug remdesivir made famous by President Donald Trump. 

They published the study in the journal “Nature“.

This is how molnupiravir switches off the coronavirus

The active ingredient was originally developed against the flu at Emory University. But it even turns off the coronavirus. 

Put simply, it disrupts the process that Sars-CoV-2 reproduces in the body. 

To do this, it smuggles RNA-like building blocks into the genome of the virus. If it continues to multiply, faulty RNA copies are created. The pathogen can then no longer spread.

The two phases in the fight against Sars-CoV-2

Molnupiravir can be taken as a tablet by patients. It is then activated in the body, as the researchers explain in a press release. Body cells absorb the agent and convert it into RNA-like building blocks.

In the first phase, the viral copier, known as RNA polymerase, feeds the building blocks into the viral RNA genome. This is where the crucial difference to remdesivir lies. 

This inhibits the viral RNA polymerase – but only a little. In contrast, molnupiravir does not directly affect the copier. Instead, the RNA-like building blocks combine with the building blocks of the viral genome in the second phase.

As a result, the pathogen can no longer multiply.

This is made clear by the graph of the scientists:

Molnupiravir has a lot of potential

The researchers consider the active ingredient to be very promising – not only against the coronavirus, but also against other RNA viruses thanks to the two-phase mechanism of action. 

The key to ensuring that the product is effective is that it must be given quickly after infection. But initially, patients are usually not in the hospital. 

“It would be ideal to be able to take an antiviral drug in tablet form immediately after a positive test in order to limit the multiplication of the virus,” explained the researchers.

USA has already secured 1.7 million doses of molnupiravir

Whether molnupiravir is actually safe and can be approved as a drug will likely be known in the second half of the year, according to the researchers. 

The US government was already optimistic at the beginning of June: it secured around 1.7 million doses of the antiviral agent with a billion-dollar deal. If it gets an emergency approval, molnupiravir will go to the States worth around $ 1.2 billion.

Latest articles

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...

Science Shock: Salmon’s Food Choices Better at Reducing Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Salmon: Rich in Health Benefits, Yet May Offer Less Nutritional Value - This is...

More like this

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...