molnupiravir   Click here for help

GtoPdb Ligand ID: 10737

Synonyms: EIDD-2801 | EIDD2801 | Lagevrio® | MK-4482 | MK4482
Approved drug
molnupiravir is an approved drug (UK (2021))
Compound class: Synthetic organic
Comment: Molnupiravir (EIDD-2801, MK-4482) is an oral, broad-spectrum antiviral drug [1,8]. The proposed INN molnupiravir was released by the WHO in a special release to cover COVID-related therapeutics in October 2020 (Proposed INN: List 124-COVID-19). Chemically molnupiravir is the isopropylester prodrug of the ribonucleoside analogue β-D-N4-hydroxycytidine (EIDD-1931, or N-hydroxycytidine) [10-11]. Functionally, the active form of molnupiravir is incorporated into the virus' RNA by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) during replication, which results in lethal mutagenesis [4]. Molnupiravir was originally designed by Emory University scientists to inhibit replication of influenza virus. It has subsequently been tested for activity against other RNA viruses, including pandemic SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV [14]. Molnupiravir was being progressed for COVID-19 in a collaboration between Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck. In vivo therapeutic and prophylactic potential was reported in a peer reviewed manuscript in February 2021 [12].
There is concern that molnupiravir may induce mutations in the host, based on evidence from mammalian cell culture experiments [13] and using the Ames test (bacteria).
2D Structure
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2D Structure

An image of the ligand's 2D structure. For small molecules with SMILES these are drawn using the NCI/CADD Chemical Identifier Resolver. Click on the image to access the chemical structure search tool with the ligand pre-loaded in the structure editor. For other types of ligands, e.g. longer nucleotides and peptides, a manually drawn representation of the molecule may be provided.

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Physico-chemical Properties
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Physico-chemical Properties

Calculated molecular properties are available for small molecules and natural products (not peptides). Properties were generated using the CDK toolkit. All properties were selected to enable the prediction of the Lipinski Rule-of-Five profile or ‘druglikeness’ for each ligand. For more info on each category see the help pages.

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Hydrogen bond acceptors 6
Hydrogen bond donors 4
Rotatable bonds 6
Topological polar surface area 143.14
Molecular weight 329.12
XLogP 0
No. Lipinski's rules broken 0
SMILES / InChI / InChIKey
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SMILES / InChI / InChIKey

SMILES (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry Specification) A specification for unambiguously describing the structure of chemical molecules using short ASCII strings. Canonical SMILES specify a unique representation of the 2D structure without chiral or isotopic specifications. Isomeric SMILES include chiral specification and isotopes.

Standard InChI (IUPAC International Chemical Identifier) and InChIKey InChI is a non-proprietary, standard, textual identifier for chemical substances designed to facilitate linking of information and database searching. An InChIKey is a simplified version of a full InChI, designed for easier web searching.

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Canonical SMILES ONc1ccn(c(=O)n1)[C@@H]1O[C@@H]([C@H]([C@H]1O)O)COC(=O)C(C)C
Isomeric SMILES ONc1ccn(c(=O)n1)[C@@H]1O[C@@H]([C@H]([C@H]1O)O)COC(=O)C(C)C
InChI InChI=1S/C13H19N3O7/c1-6(2)12(19)22-5-7-9(17)10(18)11(23-7)16-4-3-8(15-21)14-13(16)20/h3-4,6-7,9-11,17-18,21H,5H2,1-2H3,(H,14,15,20)/t7-,9-,10-,11-/m1/s1
InChI Key HTNPEHXGEKVIHG-QCNRFFRDSA-N
Bioactivity Comments
The active form of EIDD-2801 exists in two tautomeric states, one which is a uridine mimic (pairs with adenosine), and the second which mimics cytidine (pairs with guanosine) [10]. During RNA replication switching between these tautomers causes mismatches and leads to catastrophic mutation within the new viral RNA transcripts which render it non-functional. Remdesivir is another nucleoside analogue that is being evaluated in human trials for efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 infection. The active forms of both compounds block viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to prevent virus replication, but in slightly different ways, suggesting that their effects may be complementary. Another difference between remdesivir and EIDD-2801 is that while remdesivir needs to be administered intravenously within a medical setting, EIDD-2801 is orally bioavailable, so could be taken at home. This offers the potential for treatment to be initiated earlier in the course of the disease, before more severe symptoms develop.