The COVID-19 vaccine may spell the end of the pandemic, but while mass vaccination is not available it is vital to stop community transmission. The new antiviral drug MK-4482 / EIDD-2801 or Molnupiravir, has managed to suppress “completely” the transmission of the coronavirus in just 24 hours , according to studies by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Georgia State University.

“This is the first demonstration of an orally available drug that quickly blocks the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 , so it could be a game changer,” the researchers explained in the work published in the journal Nature Microbiology .

Dr. Richard Plemper, who led the group at GSU, discovered the drug while studying influenza viruses and said this could be a game-changer for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, because currently approved antiviral treatments such as remdesivir and reconvalescent serum must be administered in a hospital setting.

“This is the first demonstration of an orally available drug to rapidly block SARS-CoV-2 transmission,” Plemper said.

Georgia State Researchers Find Oral Drug That Stops Coronavirus Spread In Animals

A new antiviral drug, MK-4482/EIDD-2801 or Molnupiravir, completely suppresses SARS-CoV-2 transmission in some animals within 24 hours, researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University have discovered.

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