|
 The expert panel conditionally recommended the pill, molnupiravir,
for patients with non-severe disease who are at high risk of
hospitalisation, such as the immunocompromised, the unvaccinated,
older people and those with chronic diseases.
The recommendation was based on new data from six clinical trials
involving 4,796 patients.
Since molnupiravir's U.S. authorization in December, demand for the
pill among COVID-19 patients has taken a hit from comparatively low
efficacy and potential safety issues for certain groups.
The WHO panel said it was also preparing recommendations for Pfizer
Inc's rival COVID-19 antiviral pill, Paxlovid.
Pfizer's pill was shown to be nearly 90% effective in preventing
COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, compared with 30% for
molnupiravir.
The recommendations from the WHO's Guideline Development Group (GDG)
are aimed at helping doctors provide the best care for patients in
fast-moving situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The panel said that young and healthy patients, including children,
and pregnant or breastfeeding women should not be given molnupiravir
due to potential risks such as defects in a developing fetus, as
shown in animal studies.
[to top of second column] |
 The WHO guidelines, published
https://www.bmj.com/content/
370/bmj.m3379 in the British Medical Journal,
said no recommendation on molnupiravir's use has
been made for patients with severe or critical
illness as there was no trial data for the
group.
The panel also updated its guidance for the use
of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc's COVID-19
antibody cocktail. It now recommends the drug
only for people who are not infected with
Omicron as new preclinical data has shown it is
not effective against the variant.
In January, the panel recommended the use of Eli
Lilly's baricitinib for patients with severe
COVID-19 in combination with corticosteroids,
and conditionally endorsed GlaxoSmithKline and
Vir Biotechnology's antibody therapy for
non-severe patients at the highest risk of
hospitalisation.
(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru;
Editing by Devika Syamnath)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
