An antiviral drug used to treat SARS-CoV-2 remains effective against the newest variants of the evolving virus, according to Rutgers researchers. The study, published in the journal Cell Research, is one of the first to explore the full extent of SARS-CoV-2 mutations. Researchers concluded that the Pfizer antiviral drug Paxlovid still quashes COVID by jamming the cell machinery of a key protein, known as the “main protease” or Mpro, involved in replicating the virus. As COVID’s Omicron variant spreads rapidly throughout the world, with recent severe outbreaks in Asia, authorities have watched to see whether the virus evolves “resistance,” evading the defenses provided by current medicines. With only a few drugs that are available to treat COVID, physicians are counting on treatments like Paxlovid to stem the spread. To read the full story.