Hugo López-Gatell, Undersecretary for Prevention and Health Promotion, assured this Monday that it is not proven that molnupiravir stops the transmission of COVID-19 in humans.
“In 24 hours (molnupiravir) reduces the spread of the virus in animal species, in ferrets. (…) There are still no clinical phases (in humans). It is in a phase of experimentation in animals ”, assured the doctor in Epidemiology.
“Originally, the drug was designed as a possible drug for the prevention of influenza,” he continued. On December 5, Georgia State University researchers claimed that the drug was able to suppress the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in just 24 hours.
“This is the first demonstration of an orally available drug to rapidly block the transmission of SARS-CoV-2,” said Richard Plemper, doctor in charge of the study. The specialist stressed that the drug has a “broad spectrum” activity against respiratory RNA viruses.
The researchers worked with ferrets to develop the study, this because, they said, these animals have a transmission pattern similar to that of young adults. The team infected these animals and began treating them with molnupiravir once they began to expel the pathogen through their nasal passages.
The Ministry of Health reported this day that there are already 110 thousand 74 people killed by the new coronavirus SARS-COV-2 in Mexico. In addition, confirmed cases amounted to one million 182 thousand 249, detailed José Luis Alomía, general director of Epidemiology.
