By IAN RANDALL
An antiviral drug widely used against COVID-19 is driving an unintended pattern of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is increasing its genetic diversity.
This is the warning of an international team of researchers who studied some 15 million SARS-CoV-2 sequences to map out exactly how the coronavirushas mutated over time.
While viruses do naturally mutate, the analysis revealed mutational events that looked very different from the regular pattern of change — and nearly a third of these unusual shifts were associated with people who had taken the antiviral molnupiravir.
This drug — manufactured by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics — works by inducing mutations in the viral genome during replication, many of which either damage or kill the virus, helping to reduce the body’s viral load.
However, the team found that some of the changes caused by molnupiravir aren’t having the intended effect — and are causing enduring mutations instead.