COVID-19 Clearance with Favipiravir - A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Pharmacotherapy of Severe Acute Respiratory Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), also denoted as COVID-19 is evolving. Many antivirals were found to be ineffective. Antiviral therapy used in 2020 was not originally developed for COVID-19. The effectiveness of favipiravir (an original drug for influenza) in COVID-19 pneumonia is questionable. Methods: A small sample retrospective study was conducted to indicate if favipiravir is effective in COVID-19 clearance. It was conducted in a tertiary-level care hospital in the United Arab Emirates. COVID-19 pneumonia patients were admitted to the hospital from January to December 2020 were studied. SPSS version 26 was used for the data analysis. Results: The average day of COVID-19 clearance for those who received favipiravir alone or favipiravir and hydroxychloroquine together were 12 days. Those who received no antivirals had COVID-19 clearance in an average of 11 days. Independent-Samples Kruskal-Wallis Test shows no statistically significant difference (p-value 0.663) in the length of COVID-19 clearance between these three treatment groups. Conclusion: Favipiravir was not effective in mild COVID-19 pneumonia for achieving COVID-19 clearance. The effectiveness of favipiravir on COVID-19 clearance needs to be studied further.