Rassegna Stampa

Molnupiravir was initially heralded by public-health officials as a game-changer for COVID-19, but full clinical-trial data showed lower-than-expected efficacy.

Molnupiravir, one of two antiviral pills that have caused excitement in the past few months because preliminary clinical-trial results showed that they can significantly reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, has yet to receive an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An FDA advisory committee met on 30 November, and narrowly voted to recommend the drug candidate’s emergency approval by 13 to 10.

The agency’s lengthy deliberations could signal uncertainties about the antiviral’s efficacy and safety: full trial data submitted to the FDA suggest that molnupiravir is less effective than originally thought, dampening scientists’ hopes that the relatively cheap and easy-to-administer treatment might change the course of the pandemic.