Role of Molnupiravir in the Treatment of COVID-19

Abstract

Molnupiravir is a ribonucleoside analog and exhibits its antiviral mechanism by inhibiting replication. Preclinical studies have been reported that support the role of Molnupiravir towards the prophylaxis, cure, and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition to it, clinical studies have confirmed its activity against the most common variants of SARS-CoV-2. The manuscript aims to demonstrate the rationale behind the clinical use of Molnupiravir in the treatment of COVID-19 infection at the early stage of the onset of symptoms specific to five days. A thorough literature search has been carried out using various suitable keywords to extract details on the antiviral mechanism, preclinical, and clinical use of Molnupiravir, its safety, tolerability, dosage, duration of treatment, etc. The reported studies demonstrate the antiviral action of Molnupiravir by viral error catastrophe mechanism which results in the inhibition of the viral multiplication activity when it enters inside the host cells. The manuscript delivers complete detail regarding pharmacokinetic and pharmacological actions, usage, and various preclinical and clinical studies reported for this newly evaluated drug for the treatment of COVID-19 infection. The study concludes Molnupiravir has the potential in the treatment of COVID-19 infection. When used along with vaccines, it would be a low-cost, valuable, and incredible asset as an oral anti-COVID drug for saving human life.