Podcast 729: Molnupiravir for COVID

<p><strong>Contributor: Jared Scott, MD</strong></p> <p><strong>Educational Pearls:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">A press release from Merck introduced Molnupiravir for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The yet to be published study is a randomized control trial at around 100 different sites</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Reported outcomes were hospitalization and mortality from COVID and mortality from COVID</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Molnupiravir was found to be twice as effective as placebo looking at these two endpoints (7% vs. 14%)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">5 day course of the drug taken twice per day costs $700, but cost-saved from using this drug was $32,000 per patient</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p><a href= "https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-ridgebacks-investigational-oral-antiviral-molnupiravir-reduced-the-risk-of-hospitalization-or-death-by-approximately-50-percent-compared-to-placebo-for-patients-with-mild-or-moderat/"> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-ridgebacks-investigational-oral-antiviral-molnupiravir-reduced-the-risk-of-hospitalization-or-death-by-approximately-50-percent-compared-to-placebo-for-patients-with-mild-or-moderat/</span></a></p> <p><span style= "font-weight: 400;">https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-ridgebacks-molnupiravir-an-oral-covid-19-antiviral-medicine-receives-first-authorization-in-the-world/</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Summarized by John Spartz, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Emergency Medical Minute is excited to announce that we are now offering</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;