Acta Scientific Medical Sciences (ASMS)(ISSN: 2582-0931)

Research Article Volume 4 Issue 11

An Observational Study Regarding Usage of Favipiravir for COVID-19 Therapy

Md Azizul Islam1, AKM Faizul Huq2, Azizur Rahman2, Md Sakirul Islam Khan3, Mamun Al Mahtab4 and Sheikh Mohammad Fazle Akbar5*

1Directorate General of Medical Services, Bangladesh Armed Forces, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2Department of Medicine, Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh
3Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan
4Department of Hepatology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
5Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan

*Corresponding Author: Sheikh Mohammad Fazle Akbar, Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan.

Received: October 03, 2020; Published: October 22, 2020

×

Abstract

Background: A pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) has shattered the globe with no prophylactic vaccine or anti-SARS-CoV-2 medication inducing a morbidity of more than 75 million patients and mortality of more than one million individuals in the world.

Aims: This open level observational study has been designed to assess the therapeutic potentiality of favipiravir, an antiviral drug, originally developed for another coronavirus in patients with mild COVID-19.

Materials and Methods: A total of 45 COVID-19 patients positive for (SARS-CoV-2) confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of nasal swab were enrolled in this study in Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka, Bangladesh. The patients were provided with standard of care (SoC) plus favipiravir for 10 days.

Results: No notable adverse event was recorded due to usage of favipiravir in these patients during the observation period. All patients became negative for SARS-CoV-2 and they were discharged from the hospital within a mean period of 12.4 days (the shortest period being 3 days and longest was 30 days).

Conclusion: Although this is an open level study, it seems that favipiravir is safe and effective for treatment of mild COVID-patients. However, a double-blind, controlled study with large sample size would be required to validate its clinical usage and registration.

Keywords: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2); Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); Favipiravir

×

References

  1. Zhu N., et al. “A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019”. The New England Journal of Medicine 382 (2020): 727-733.
  2. Zhou P., et al. “A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin”. Nature 579 (2020): 270-273.
  3. WHO Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports (2020).
  4. Perez GIP and Abadi ATB. “Ongoing Challenges Faced in the global control of COVID-19 pandemic”. Archives of Medical Research (2020).
  5. Brock RL and Laifer LM. “Family Science in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: solutions and new directions”. Fam Process3 (2020): 1007-1017.
  6. Gao Z., et al. “A systematic review of asymptomatic infections with COVID-19”. Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection (2020).
  7. Rivett L., et al. “Screening of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 highlights the role of asymptomatic carriage in COVID-19 transmission”. Elife 9 (2020): e58728.
  8. Kim GU., et al. “Clinical characteristics of asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with mild COVID-19”. Clinical Microbiology and Infection 7 (2020): 948.e1-948.e3.
  9. Castagnoli R., et al. “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review”. JAMA Pediatrics (2020).
  10. Henry BM., et al. “Hematologic, biochemical and immune biomarker abnormalities associated with severe illness and mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a meta-analysis”. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine 7 (2020): 1021-1028.
  11. Alhazzani W., et al. “Surviving Sepsis Campaign: guidelines on the management of critically ill adults with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)”. Intensive Care Medicine 5 (2020): 854-887.
  12. Xie P., et al. “Severe COVID-19: A Review of Recent Progress With a Look Toward the Future”. Front Public Health 8 (2020): 189.
  13. Japan ECMOnet for COVID-19. “Japan ECMOnet for COVID-19: telephone consultations for cases with severe respiratory failure caused by COVID-19. Version 2”. Journal of Intensive Care 8 (2020): 24.
  14. Sun P., et al. “Understanding of COVID-19 based on current evidence”. Journal of Medical Virology 6 (2020): 548-551.
  15. Mehta N., et al. “Pharmacotherapy in COVID-19; A narrative review for emergency providers”. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 7 (2020): 1488-1493.
  16. Tu YF., et al. “A Review of SARS-CoV-2 and the Ongoing Clinical Trials”. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 7 (2020): 2657.
  17. Jean SS., et al. “Treatment options for COVID-19: The reality and challenges”. Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection 3 (2020): 436-443.
  18. Zhang W., et al. “The use of anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of people with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): The Perspectives of clinical immunologists from China”. Journal of Clinical Immunology 214 (2020): 108393.
  19. Gao J., et al. “Breakthrough: Chloroquine phosphate has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of COVID-19 associated pneumonia in clinical studies”. Bio Science Trends 1 (2020): 72-73.
  20. Potì F., et al. “Treatments for COVID-19: emerging drugs against the coronavirus”. Acta Bio Medica 2 (2020): 118-136.
  21. Abd El-Aziz TM and Stockand JD. “Recent progress and challenges in drug development against COVID-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) - an update on the status”. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 83 (2020): 104327.
  22. Bhuyan MAR., et al. “Treatment of COVID-19 Patients at a Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh”. Euroasian Journal of Hepato-Gastroenterology 10 (2020): 27-30.
  23. Huq AKMF., et al. “Real-life Management Strategy of COVID-19 Patients in Bangladesh with No Death: An Observational and Cohort Study”. Euroasian Journal of Hepato-Gastroenterology 10 (2020): 31-35.
  24. Coronavirus is a failure of global governance - now the world needs a radical transformation” (2020).
  25. Cai Q., et al. “Experimental Treatment with Favipiravir for COVID-19: An Open-Label Control Study”. Engineering (2020).
×

Citation

Citation: Sheikh Mohammad Fazle Akbar., et al. “An Observational Study Regarding Usage of Favipiravir for COVID-19 Therapy". Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 4.11 (2020): 60-65.




Metrics

Acceptance rate30%
Acceptance to publication20-30 days
Impact Factor1.403

Indexed In





Contact US