However, studies have so far been conducted in largely unvaccinated populations and prior to the emergence of the Omicron variant.
This new trial was carried out in a majority vaccinated population where most COVID-19 infections were the Omicron variant and is therefore more applicable to the present situation in the UK.
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The new study included 25,708 participants over the age of 18 (average age 57 years) with a higher risk of death or hospitalization from COVID-19 infection.
Approximately half the patients in the trial (12,774 people) received 800mg molnupiravir twice daily for five days, which was taken at home, in addition to standard care. The control half of the trial (12,934 people) received standard care only.
There was no benefit observed in hospitalization or death rates between the molnupiravir group and the control group.
In the group treated with molnupiravir, there were 105 cases of death or hospitalization (0.8 percent), while in the control group, there were 98 cases of death or hospitalization (0.8 percent).
“While it’s critical to ensure that patients who are likely to benefit treatment with antiviral treatments, such as molnuvirapir, receive them; using antivirals to treat patients who are unlikely to benefits carries the risk of further driving antimicrobial resistance, wasting resources, and exposing people to unnecessary harm,” said study co-author Professor Ly-Mee Yu from University of Oxford.
The authors caution that the benefits of molnupiravir use need to be considered in the context of the burden on healthcare services and cost-effectiveness.
Source: IANS
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