However, a new study suggests that Molnupiravir can speed up the recovery of vaccinated but vulnerable patients.
It was a long-awaited study. Published in the scientific journal The Lanceta study conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford looked at the effectiveness of the antiviral treatment Molnupiravir on vaccinated adults vulnerable to Covid-19.
According to the results, Molnupiravir leads to a faster recovery in vaccinated adults infected with Covid-19, compared to individuals who did not receive this treatment.
However, the main objective of the study was to find out if Molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death. On this hypothesis, the results are negative.
Patients heal 4.2 days faster
25,708 people participated in this study. They were either over the age of 50 or had comorbidities and therefore a higher risk of death or hospitalization from Covid-19.
Half of the people received, between December 8, 2021 and April 27, 2022, 800 milligrams of the antiviral twice a day for five days. The researchers observed that these patients recovered from the disease on average 4.2 days faster than the others.
On the other hand, Molnupiravir does not reduce the number of hospitalizations or deaths in these vaccinated adults infected with Covid-19 and presenting a higher risk of contracting a severe form.
Reduce the burden on health services
Professor Chris Butler, lead author of the paper said that although this study did not find any benefit of treatment on the risk of hospitalizations or death, it could provide other elements in the fight against Covid -19.
The fact that Molnupiravir reduces the duration of illness could help ease the burden on health services, he said. This new study is unique because it was conducted in a predominantly vaccinated population where most infections were due to the Omicron variant.
In France, Paxlovid is used as an antiviral against Covid-19. It has been present on the French market since last February, but remains relatively little used, too little according to the health authorities. The Covars called in October to “amplify its use”.
