PUNE: Doctors are using the new antiviral pill, molnupiravir, sparingly even among recommended Covid patients with comorbidities, who are at high risk of disease progression to severe.
“If the patients have severe risk of progression, they are being given remdesivir for three days. We are not using molnupiravir among diabetic Covid patients as the drug trials did not show any benefit to them. Besides, we are also not using the drug in those with previous history of Covid and patients with low viral load,” said hospital’s infectious diseases expert Dr Parikshit Prayag.
The molnupiravir trials have shown that it could halt progression of Covid infection. “But the trials included only unvaccinated patients. The trial did not show its benefit among Covid patients who were diabetic. Besides, the trials also found that the drug was not helpful to those with low viral load at baseline. It also didn’t help patients with reinfection,” Dr Prayag said.
The drug is contraindicated in pregnancy or in couples trying to conceive. “There are concerns about using the drug in patients with compromised renal function,” Dr Prayag said.
Physician Aniket Joshi, a member of the Association of Physicians of India, said, “Most patients are getting better with paracetamol within three days, including those with comorbidities. So, the need to use the new drug is not much. Only people with advanced age (who have crossed the child bearing age) with persistent symptoms and moderate disease are being mainly prescribed the drug.”
Globally, including in India, molnupiravir is only approved for mild Covid patients at a high risk of disease progression to severe, mainly those with pre-existing (comorbid) conditions.
