The Evaluation of Favipiravir Utilization and Clinical Outcome of Inpatients Covid-19 in Secondary Care Hospital, Central Java

Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The favipiravir is one of the antiviral treatments for COVID-19. There has been limited research done on favipiravir in Indonesia, and there is controversy on the drug's efficacy. This study aims to determine the utilization of favipiravir affected patients with COVID-19. This study was a retrospective data collection method and an observational study. The information was collected from the medical reports of confirmed COVID-19 patients between in March 2020 and June 2021 at the Secondary Care Hospital in Banyumas Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia. By comparing clinical symptoms before and after using favipiravir, the results of temperature, respiratory rate, and cough symptom parameters were used to evaluate the effects of using favipiravir on clinical symptoms. The total number of 250 patients were qualified the inclusion criteria consisted of 90 patients with severity of illness in mild level, 101 patients had moderate level, and 59 patients with severe level. Most patients reported symptoms of coughing, shortness of breath, weakness, fever, and nausea. The majority of favipiravir patients (n=200; 80%) initiated with a dose of 1600 mg/12 hours, followed by a dose of 600 mg/12 hours, with the longest length of therapy (8-14 days) (n=145; 58%). At all grades of disease severity, statistical analysis of patients showed the significant improvement in cough, fever, and respiratory rate after taking favipiravir (p=0.0001). In conclusion, favipiravir may have beneficial effects on COVID-19 patients in all grade severity of illness.