Genetic consequences of effective and suboptimal dosing with mutagenic drugs in a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Abstract

Mutagenic antiviral drugs have shown promising results against multiple viruses, yet concerns have been raised about whether their use might promote the emergence of new and harmful viral variants. Here, we examine the genetic consequences of effective and suboptimal dosing of favipiravir and molnupiravir in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a hamster model. We identify a dose-dependent effect upon the mutational load in a viral population, with molnupiravir having a greater potency than favipiravir per mg/kg of treatment. The emergence of de novo variants was largely driven by stochastic processes, with evidence of compensatory adaptation but not of the emergence of drug resistance or novel immune phenotypes. Effective doses for favipiravir and molunpiravir correspond to similar levels of mutational load. Combining both drugs had an increased impact on both efficacy and mutational load. Our results suggest the potential for mutational load to provide a marker for clinical efficacy.