The WHO announced that updated “dynamic guidelines” on related treatment now include a conditional recommendation for the drug molnupiravir.

The WHO warned that due to concerns and data gaps, it recommended providing monupavir “only to non-severe COVID-19 patients at highest risk of hospitalization”.

These people are usually people who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, the elderly, the immunocompromised and the chronically ill.

Advice for pregnant and breastfeeding women
WHO also recommends that children, pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take the drug, adding that people taking monupavir should have a birth control plan.

WHO emphasizes: “Health systems should ensure that people have access to pregnancy tests and contraceptives at the point of care.”

Under the care of a healthcare worker, patients should take four (800 mg total) oral monupiravir tablets twice a day for five consecutive days after they develop symptoms, WHO said.

According to the WHO, “medication as soon as possible after infection can help prevent hospitalization”.

New data from the trial
The recommendation is based on new data from six randomized controlled trials involving 4796 patients. According to the WHO, this is the largest dataset to date on the drug.

The WHO also noted that although monupavir is not widely used, steps have been taken to increase access, including signing voluntary licensing agreements.

Drugs that are ineffective against Omicron variants
In addition to the recommendation for monupiravir, WHO’s ninth update of treatment guidelines includes more information on the monoclonal antibody combination cascilimab-imdelizumab.

Based on evidence that “the drug combination is ineffective against the Omicron variant of concern”, the WHO now recommends that the drug combination be used only in confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection caused by other variants.