Pill for Covid does not reduce risk of hospitalisation or death, UK study finds

Research suggests that an oral antiviral pill for Covid doesn't reduce the likelihood of needing hospital care or dying.

The UK became the first country in the world to approve molnupiravir for Covid in November of 2021.

Hopes were high after a study suggested that the antiviral halved the risk of hospitalisation for unvaccinated patients. The drug had a smaller effect than first thought after it was approved.

It has been found that molnupiravir does not reduce the risk of hospitalisation or death in high-risk people.

The co-chief investigator of the trial said that the antiviral might be useful in helping key workers get back to work quicker if systems are under pressure.

He said that it was a complex political decision which needed to be made.

If an adult in the UK tested positive for Covid, they could be eligible for the trial if they had a health condition that made them vulnerable to Covid.

The team recruited more than 25,700 people who had received at least three doses of the Covid vaccine.

Half of the participants were given usual care, while the other half were sent for a five-day course of molnupiravir.

The results show that both groups had the same rate of hospitalisations and deaths, with 98 of the 12,525 participants who received usual care having such outcomes.

The low rates show the importance of Covid jabs, according to the team. The vaccine is a very effective tool for fighting the Pandemic.

The participants who were given molnupiravir reported a median recovery time of nine days compared with 15 days for those who only received usual care.

The people who were given molnupiravir had a higher rate of recovery and less contact with their doctors.

Prof Landray, who was not involved in the trial, said participants were aware if they were taking the antiviral.

He said there was no way of knowing if or to what extent this knowledge might bias the findings on self- reported symptoms.

The impact on Covid has yet to be analysed.

A course of the antiviral is thought to cost hundreds of pounds.

It depends on how much a mean four-day improvement in symptoms will benefit the country.