| Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022 This colorized scanning electron micrograph shows a cell infected with the Omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (red), isolated from a patient sample. (NIAID) Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir – two antiviral drugs approved for emergency use to treat high-risk COVID-19 patients – performed better at slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 when combined rather than when used individually, a new NIAID preprint study shows. The study, done in rhesus macaques and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, is available online at bioRxiv. Preclinical information for nirmatrelvir (also known as PF-07321332, and a component of Paxlovid) and molnupiravir (also known as Lagevrio and MK-4482) had primarily only been available from studies done in rodents and ferrets. The NIAID scientists used the rhesus model, the closest that mimics people, to assess the treatments alone and then in combination against infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. They noted that combined treatment resulted in milder disease progression, stronger reduction of virus shedding from mucosal tissues of the upper respiratory tract, stronger reduction of viral replication in the lower respiratory tract, and reduced lung disease.  |
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