MK 4482

Subject : Science & tech

Context : Antiviral drug MK-4482 shows promise against Covid-19.

Concept :

An experimental antiviral drug, MK-4482, significantly decreased levels of virus and disease damage in the lungs of hamsters treated for SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a new study from scientists from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and published in the journal Nature Communications.
The scientists found MK-4482 treatment effective when provided up to 12 hours before or 12 hours after infecting the hamsters with SARS-CoV-2.

About MK 4482

The antiviral drug Molnupiravir, or MK-4482/EIDD-2801, is taken orally.
The research team repurposed MK-4482/EIDD-2801 against SARS-CoV-2 and tested it on ferrets.
In ferrets, the drug was shown to completely suppress transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in 12 hours.
Researchers infected ferrets with SARS-CoV-2 and initiated treatment with MK-4482/EIDD-2801 when the animals started to shed the virus from the nose.
Ferrets are a popular model for influenza and other respiratory infections because their lung physiology is similar to humans and researchers hope they will mimic aspects of Covid-19 in people such as its spread.
The drug basically stops replication of the copies of the virus’s RNA in the cell.
The drug is like any other anti-flu drug and was on our list of drugs to go into clinical trials. There are several promising drugs and they are under evaluation.
The phase 2/3 trial is a randomised, placebo-controlled double-blind clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MK-4482 in hospitalised adults with Covid 19 across 46 locations in various countries.