Molnupiravir
Molnupiravir is an antiviral medication that inhibits the replication of certain RNA viruses. It is used to treat COVID-19 in those infected by SARS-CoV-2. Molnupiravir is a prodrug of the synthetic nucleoside derivative N⁴-hydroxycytidine and exerts its antiviral action through introduction of copying errors during viral RNA replication. Molnupiravir was originally developed to treat influenza at Emory University by the university's drug innovation company, Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory, but was reportedly abandoned for mutagenicity concerns. It was then acquired by Miami-based company Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, which later partnered with Merck & Co. to develop the drug further. Based on positive results in placebo-controlled double-blind randomized clinical trials, Molnupiravir was approved for medical use in the United Kingdom in November 2021.
