New study suggests anti-COVID drug may be causing virus to mutate

A new study published on Tuesday suggests that the anti-COVID drug molnupiravir may be driving mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Produced by Merck and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in late 2021, molnupiravir is sold under the brand name Lagevrio and has been widely used in patients at risk of developing complications following COVID infection.

Originally developed to combat influenza, molnupiravir acts by inducing errors in the SARS-CoV-2 virus’ genetic code, inhibiting its continued replication.