Molnupiravir outpatient treatment for adults with COVID-19
Description
This was a prospective single centre study. Non-hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 symptom with onset of up to 5 days and at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness received molnupiravir treatment for 5 consecutive days (800mg) in 12 hours intervals. Of 107 enrolled patients. About 90% of participants had at least two risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness. Adverse events were reported in 28.0% of patients with nausea and abdominal pain being the most commonly observed. The majority of AEs were mild. No treatment-emergent AEs resulted in therapy discontinuation. Overall, 15 patients required hospitalization. None of the patients admitted to the hospital was intubated or placed on mechanical ventilation. During the observation, the 2.8% (n=3) of patients subsequently died. All deaths were considered to be COVID-19 complications-related. Age over 65 years, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease showed a significant correlation with the severe course of COVID-19 Molnupiravir may be perceived as an alternative treatment for patients on immunosuppression and advanced chronic kidney disease. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to conclusively establish a role for molnupiravir in future COVID-19 treatment recommendations.