Real-World Experience with Favipiravir for the Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 in India

Shashank Joshi,1 Agam Vora,2 K Venugopal,3 Pramod Dadhich,4 Anil Daxini,5 Sagar Bhagat,6 Saiprasad Patil,6 Hanmant Barkate6 1Department of Endocrinology, Joshi Clinic and Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai, India; 2Department of Pulmonology, Vora Clinic, Mumbai, India; 3Department of Pulmonology, Sooriya Hospital, Chennai, India; 4Department of Pulmonology, Dadhich Clinic, Ajmer, India; 5Department of Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Mumbai, India; 6Global Medical Affairs, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Mumbai, IndiaCorrespondence: Sagar Bhagat, Global Medical Affairs, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Mumbai, India, Tel +91 9930553638, Email sagar.bhagat@glenmarkpharma.comBackground: Favipiravir, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor (RdRp), is a broad-spectrum oral antiviral agent approved in India under emergency use authorization, for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The present study was planned to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of favipiravir in real-world clinical practice.Materials and Methods: This was a multicentric, retrospective, single-arm study conducted across four centres in India, after obtaining permission from the independent ethics committee. Medical records were analysed to evaluate effectiveness and safety of patients who were prescribed favipiravir.Results: The medical records of a total of 360 patients met the inclusion criteria, with 358 of them available for the final analysis. Males made up 58.46% of the study population. The average age of enrolled patients was 51.80 ± 16.45 years. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, and myalgia-fatigue. The median time to clinical cure and fever relief was five and four days, respectively. The average length of stay in the hospital was six days. In total, 8% of the patients experienced adverse events. Hepatic enzyme elevation, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, headache, fatigue, and giddiness were the common symptoms.Conclusion: In our real-world study, f