I'm not a doctor, but I had this exact thought when Molnupiravir came out. I left a comment on HN Jan 11 2022 about how I was worried about how Molnupiravir could create new variants. Also, I'd love to see the long term data on cancer rates of the people who took this drug since its mechanism seems very carcinogenic to me.
As you note, there absolutely is the risk of incorporation of the viral nucleoside analogues into host genomic dna and ultimately cancer.
of the two rodent genotoxicity / mutagenesis assays, only ONE passed. The other was equivocal. The FDA concluded that based on the short 5 day course, the risk was acceptable. This decision was, IMO, colored by COVID hysteria that still permeates many aspects of medicine and government.
The types of risks (genotoxic, but also viral mutagenesis) of Molnupiravir would never be acceptable or approved in any other context.
