Bombshell: Merck COVID-19 Antiviral Molnupiravir Causes SARS-CoV-2 Mutations but Peer Review Necessary

In a recent study result uploaded to the preprint server MedRxiv, a handful of British scientists and an American scientist represented by corresponding authors Christopher Ruis, with the Molecular Immunity Unit at the University of Cambridge, Department of Medicine, and Theo Sanderson, with Francis Crick Institute in London, UK, report that the antiviral medication licensed and developed by Merck induces mutations in the virus genome during replication. Arguing that a majority of the Molnupiravir-induced SARS-CoV-2 mutations will likely be harmful to the pathogen, many will be lethal. The authors, affiliated with prestigious academic institutions, argue that the antiviral drug induces elevated mutation rates that lead to lower viral loads in animal models in the laboratory. But what happens if patients treated with the Merck antiviral drug don&rsquo;t fully clear the COVID-19 virus? After all, numerous studies associated with long COVID show that the pathogen can linger in the stool and gastrointestinal tract for up to a year. Would this lead to &ldquo;onward transmission of molnupiravir-mutated viruses? 
The study team systematically investigated global sequencing databases targeting signatures for molnupiravir mutagenesis. The results, while indicating a potentially bombshell situation, haven&rsquo;t yet been peer reviewed. Thus, they should not be cited as scientific evidence yet.