Favipiravir shows significant improvement in time to clinical cure for mild to moderate COVID-19
These findings were observed in Phase 3 clinical trial conducted by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and have been published by the International Journal of Infectious Diseases
The oral antiviral medication Favipiravir, that prevents the replication phase of the virus life-cycle, leads to significant improvement in clinical cure in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. These findings were observed in a randomized, controlled Phase 3 clinical study conducted by Glenmark Pharma, and the results are now published online in The International Journal of Infectious Diseases (IJID). The IJID is a globally peer-reviewed, pubmed indexed, open access journal published monthly by the International Society for Infectious Diseases, USA. The published findings will also appear in the print edition of the journal in the coming weeks.
The publication on the study titled “Efficacy and Safety of Favipiravir, an Oral RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Inhibitor, in Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19: A Randomized, Comparative, Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase 3 Clinical Trial” was authored by Dr Zarir F Udwadia and other co-authors.
The link to the article is mentioned below
https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1201-9712(20)32453-X
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197122032453X
The Phase 3 study with antiviral drug Favipiravir, brand name FabiFlu, was conducted in 150 patients as part of a randomised, open-label, multicentre, Phase 3 study. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Favipiravir plus standard supportive care (Favipiravir treatment arm), versus standard supportive care alone (control arm), in mild to moderate patients, randomised within a 48-hour window of testing RT-PCR positive for COVID-19.
Favipiravir was found to provide multiple treatment benefits, demonstrated by faster time to clinical cure, and significantly delayed the need for supportive oxygen therapy. Additionally, patients of confirmed COVID-19 with moderate symptoms were discharged from hospital earlier than those patients that did not receive Favipiravir, with the median time to clinical cure reduced by 2.5 days compared with the control group.
Dr Zarir F Udwadia, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai commented “Every claim for the efficacy of a new drug in COVID-19 must be backed by evidence from a clinical trial. Glenmark has done just that with Favipiravir. Their well-designed trial in 150