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HomeSourcesmirror.co.ukWarning Molnupiravir antiviral Covid drug is driving unexpected mutations

Warning Molnupiravir antiviral Covid drug is driving unexpected mutations

Manufactured by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, Molnupiravir works by inducing Coronavirus mutations in the viral genome during replication, many of which either damage or kill the virus

A popular antiviral Covid drug used against the disease is driving unexpected mutations in the virus, a leading team of international scientists have warned.

Researchers studied a staggering 15 million SARS-CoV-2 sequences to work out exactly how the coronavirus has mutated and expect the virus to look different over time. However, as the virus mutates, analysis showed nearly a third of these unusual shifts were linked to people who had taken the antiviral Molnupiravir.

Manufactured by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, the drug works by inducing mutations in the viral genome during replication, many of which either damage or kill the virus, helping to reduce the body’s viral load. But scientists found that some of the changes of pattern caused by the antiviral drug are causing mutations instead of fighting the disease. Researchers reveal small clusters of the mutations are being transmitted between patients but, at present, no established variants of concern have been connected to these mutational mutations.

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