Molnupiravir: everything you need to know about the new Covid pill

The UK has become the first country to approve the use of an oral medication that can be taken at home to treat Covid-19.

Molnupiravir was given the green light today by the UK’s regulatory body for medicines. The pill “will be a game-changer for the most vulnerable and the immunosuppressed”, said Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Who will get it?

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The oral antiviral, developed by two US companies – Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck, Sharp & Dohme – has been approved for use by patients with mild to moderate cases of Covid who also present at least one risk factor. Elderly people, diabetics and people with heart disease will be among the first to be offered the treatment.

How does it work?

Molnupiravir works by targeting the enzyme that is responsible for causing the coronavirus to replicate within the body by “introducing errors into its genetic code”, said the BBC. “That should prevent it from multiplying, so keeping virus levels low in the body and reducing the severity of the disease.” Patients can self-administer the medication twice a day, and it is best taken within the first five days of symptoms presenting.

How effective is it?

Clinical trial data showed that the pill “cut the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half” for people at increased risk of developing severe cases of Covid, said the BBC. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has deemed the treatment both “safe and effective”, with chief executive June Raine describing the medicine as “another therapeutic to add to our armoury against Covid-19”, Sky News reported.

How much does it cost?

The UK has already ordered 480,000 courses of molnupiravir to arrive by the end of the year. Reuters reported that an order for roughly half that amount has also been placed for a similar drug being developed by Pfizer.

The government “has not disclosed” how much the initial Merck, Sharp and Dohme contract has cost, but US authorities struck a deal that worked out at around $700 (£513) per patient, the BBC said. Australia, Singapore and South Korea have also placed orders for the drug.

How long will it take to roll out?

The health secretary said the government is “working at pace” with the NHS to lay out plans to “deploy” the drug to patients “as soon as possible”. He added that it is still “vital” everyone receives a “life-saving Covid-19 vaccine”, as molnupiravir is not a substitute for vaccination.

Penny Ward, a professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King's College London, told the BBC that if trial results are replicated in the UK, “the number of cases requiring hospital admission could be halved and the number of deaths greatly reduced”.