Molnupiravir Causes Hundred of SARS-CoV-2 Mutations

A new study shows that the emergency-authorized drug for COVID-19, molnupiravir, can induce hundreds of mutations in immune-compromised people.[1]

Molnupiravir (Lagevrio) works by causing mutations in the genome of SARS-CoV-2 to produce an ‘error catastrophe’ to stop its replication.

A five-day course of 40 capsules taken as four capsules twice daily for five days cost about $700.

The study was made because the authors wanted to know what happens to the SARS-CoV-2 viruses in the immune-compromised human body. One common reason is that as many as 40% do not finish the course of the antibiotics.[2]

They studied nine immunocompromised patients. Four served as the control and did not have the molnupiravir.

The nine patients included were immunocompromised due to blood cancers, solid organ transplantation, allogeneic stem cell transplantation, and treatment of vasculitis.

Treatment of vasculitis involves using immune suppressant drugs, making them vulnerable to infections. Five of the nine were treated with Molnupiravir.

Here is what they found in the molnupiravir-treated patients.

Within days of treatment, we detected a large number of low-frequency mutations in patients and that these new mutations could persist and, in some cases, were fixed in the virus population.

All patients treated with the drug accrued new mutations in the
spike protein of the virus, including non-synonymous mutations that altered the amino acid sequence.

Our study demonstrates that this commonly used antiviral can ‘supercharge’ viral evolution in immunocompromised patients, potentially generating new variants and prolonging the pandemic.

Suppose an amino acid sequence is changed in the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In that case, it can render an anti-spike protein antibody ineffective, whether elicited from vaccination or previous infection.

The consequence is that the antibody-resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants will continue replicating and spreading to others. You will see another study that supports this scenario below.

Unsurprisingly, the patients who took molnupiravir in their study continued to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 even after the treatment. In contrast, the control group tested negative.

In summary, immune-compromised patients who had molnupiravir became breeding grounds for antibody-resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants that can be passed to those who did not take the drug even if they are not immune compromised.

The figure below from the study shows the high number of new variants produced in the molnupiravir group.

Patients A-E are patients who took molnupiravir. C1-C4 are controls. Notice that patients A to E have more variants.

The authors are from the Royal Hobart Hospital and the School of Medicine of the University of Tasmania in Australia. The study is a newly released preprint from BioRxiv and has not been peer-reviewed, but it agrees with prior studies and an expert opinion.

Previous Warning

William Haseltine, a former professor at the Harvard Medical School known for his work on cancer, HIV/AIDS, and the human genome project, warned about the dangerous consequences if molnupiravir gets approved. 

In his Nov 2021 Forbes blog,

But my biggest concern with this drug is much larger than the health of any one person, it is molnupiravir’s ability to introduce mutations to the virus itself that are significant enough to change how the virus functions, but not so powerful as to stop it from replicating and becoming the next dominant variant.

Dr. Haseltine cited a pre-pandemic study on the effect of molnupiravir on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus and the mouse hepatitis virus (MHV).

After molnupiravir exposure, 41 mutations were found across the MERS genome, and more than 100 mutations occurred at every part of the MHV genome.[2]

Antibody-resistant SARS-CoV-2  subvariants

We may be seeing the effects of molnupiravir now. A study published in Cell on December 13, 2022, showed that the SARS-CoV-2 variants BQ.1, BQ.1.1, XBB, and XBB.1 are the most resistant to antibodies from vaccination, including the boosters.[3]Additionally,t monoclonal antibodies were also inactive against them and retained their ability to infect the ACE2 receptors.

• Q.1, BQ.1.1, XBB, and XBB.1 are the most resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants to date
• Serum neutralization was markedly reduced, including with the bivalent booster
• All clinical monoclonal antibodies were rendered inactive against these variants
• The ACE2 affinity of these variants were similar to their parental strains

BQ.1 and BQ 1.1 are the most dominant variant in the US in November. As of December 2022, the XBB and XBB.1 cases are increasing!

In China, the most dominant variant is the BF.7. In a Global Times article,

The Omicron BF.7 was from outside Beijing, and is different to other sub-variants circulating in other parts of China.

Compared with the BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5 variants detected previously, Omicron BF.7 has more immune escape capability, a shorter incubation period and faster transmission rate, Li Tongzeng, a medical expert at Beijing’s Xiaotangshan Hospital said.

“The basic reproduction number (R0) for Delta variant is around 5 to 6, that of Omicron BF.7 has exceeded 10,” Li said.

It means that the stronger the transmission capacity of the infectious disease is, the faster the number of infected persons increases.

The R0 of the current Omicron BF.7 in Beijing can reach from anywhere between 10 to 18.6 persons, according to Li.

And if you are wondering whether molnupiravir is right for you because you are a high-risk patient for COVID-19, continue reading.

Molnupiravir use in China

In September 2022, Merck agreed to allow Sinopharm to sell molnupiravir in China.

Is it possible that molnupiravir is contributing to the increasing coronavirus cases in China?

Source: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/china/

Molnupiravir does not protect the high-risk

The PANORAMIC study was published in the Lancet on December 22, 2022. They investigated whether molnupiravir can prevent hospitalization in 12,529 vaccinated patients at high risk for COVID-19. [4] It concludes,

Molnupiravir did not reduce the frequency of COVID-19-associated hospitalisations or death among high-risk vaccinated adults in the community.

If molnupiravir does not protect the high-risk, can it explain the long line of people carrying body bags in the video from China below?

Don’t know what to say. My sources inside #China from different cities all told me that situations are very bad. They all have people they personally know who have just died. #chinacovid #ChinaCovidCases #ChinaCovidNightmare #ChinaCovidSurge #ChinaCovidDeaths pic.twitter.com/fHUklcRzLr

— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) December 26, 2022

Jennifer Zheng is considered a reliable source of what is happening in China.

That long line may be going to a crematorium that cannot keep up. As Aljazeera reports, Crematoriums in China struggle as COVID spreads.

Truth heals. Lies kill. Don’t Get Sick!

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Related:

1. Conflicting Studies about Molnupiravir and Mutations
2. Paxlovid blunts adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2
3. The Paxlovid rebound study
4. A new study shows a 100% decreased hospitalization rate with regular ivermectin use.
5. Ivermectin prevents binding to human cells by blocking the spike protein
6. The many problems of the Ivermectin study in the NEJM
7. Japanese company announces Ivermectin has antiviral properties
8. City-wide use of Ivermectin lowered COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Itajaí, Brazil
9. What makes Ivermectin a kick-ass antiviral?
10. IVMMETA.COM: A website of studies on Ivermectin’s efficacy
11. Ivermectin is effective against Influenza and Cold Virus In Vitro

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