Abstract :
Background: Various therapeutic modalities are under evaluation for the COVID-19
pandemic which has gripped the world, India being badly affected. Favipiravir is one of
the newer antivirals approved by DCGI for use in COVID-19 pneumonia in June 2020.
Our study aims to evaluate its efficacy and safety profile. Methods: Ours is a retrospective
observational study involving patients given favipiravir as per protocol in June. A
historical cohort of patients admitted in April through May was used for comparison.
Results: A total of 69 patients were studied in the favipiravir arm as compared to 400 in
the Standard of Care group. 65 (94.20%) patients given favipiravir tested negative by the
10th day whereas in the SOC group, 224 (56%)patients out of 400 tested negative. 17
(24.64%) patients given favipiravir were on oxygen support which reduced to 0 (0%) on
day 10, where as in the SOC group, 49 (12.25%) patients were on oxygen support initially
which increased to 54 (13.5%). 12 (17.39%) patients administered favipiravir developed
mild transaminits and 3 (4.35%) patients developed diarrhoea. Conclusion: Favipiravir is
effective in mild to moderate COVID-19 pneumonia for enhancing viral clearance and
resulted in clinical improvement.
Keyword :
Adverse Effects, Antivirals, Clinical Improvement, COVID-19, Favipiravir, Viral Clearance