How well does it work? So far, a small trial has looked at the effects of molnupiravir in 202 COVID patients (not in hospital) who had started having symptoms.
Participants were randomly allocated to receive molnupiravir or a placebo, with different doses of the antiviral being tested.
The trial’s results have been published as a preprint, meaning they are yet to be formally reviewed by other scientists. Still, the trial showed that after three days of treatment, infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus was found significantly less often in participants taking 800mg of molnupiravir (2%) compared to those taking a placebo (17%).
By day five, the virus was not detected in any participants receiving 400mg or 800mg of molnupiravir, but was still found in