An international team of researchers has determined that a popular drug manufactured by Merck to treat COVID-19 is driving what is being described as “unintended” mutations in the virus and potentially fueling the virus’s spread
The Express reported Monday that these researchers studied a whopping 15 million COVID-19 sequences to determine how it has mutated over time. What they found could be described as alarming.
Their analysis shows that there were mutations that deviated from the normal pattern of change. Moreover, one-third of the mutations were associated with individuals who had taken the popular antiviral drug molnupiravir.
Molnupiravir is produced by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. It was one of the first antiviral placed on the market to combat COVID-19 and is used by patients in several countries including the United States.
The Express notes that the molnupiravir is supposed to induce mutations in COVID-19’s genome during replication. Some of these damage or kill the virus, reducing its viral load.
But the international team discovered that molnupiravir is also causing enduring mutations in many cases, enhancing the genetic diversity of COVID-19.
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