Favipiravir (Investigational)
Indications
Favipiravir (Investigational) is used for:
In 2014, favipiravir was approved in Japan to treat cases of influenza that were unresponsive to conventional treatment.
Given its efficacy at targeting several strains of influenza, it has been investigated in other countries to treat novel viruses including Ebola and most recently, COVID-19.
Favipiravir has been investigated for the treatment of life-threatening pathogens such as Ebola virus, Lassa virus, and now COVID-19.
Adult Dose
Tablet
Adult
1600 mg of Favipiravir administered orally twice daily on Day 1, followed by 600 mg orally twice daily from Day 2 to Day 5.
The total treatment duration should be 5 days.
Child Dose
Renal Dose
Administration
Contra Indications
This drug is only approved as an experimental drug and still a lot of studies is needed about its efficacy and also toxic reactions and contraindications.
Precautions
Phase 3 Efficacy and Safety Study of Favipiravir for Treatment of Uncomplicated Influenza in Adults.
Favipiravir Completed Phase 3 Trials for Flu caused by Influenza Treatment.
This drug is only approved as an experimental drug and still a lot of studies is needed about it’s efficacy and also toxic reactions and warning and precaution.
Pregnancy-Lactation
It needs to be used with great care and under tight controls because of a serious side effect that could cause fetal abnormalities if a pregnant woman took the drug. It's potential for causing birth defects is one reason it is not used to treat regular flu. For a clinical trial that is under way in Japan, female patients will not be given it if they are pregnant.
Interactions
This drug is only approved as an experimental drug and still a lot of studies is needed about it's efficacy and also toxic reactions and drug interactions.
Adverse Effects
Side effects of Favipiravir (Investigational) :
This drug is only approved as an experimental drug and still a lot of studies is needed about it's efficacy and also toxic reactions and other side effects.
Mechanism of Action
The mechanism of action of favipiravir is novel compared to existing influenza antivirals that primarily prevent entry and exit of the virus from cells. The active favipiravir-RTP selectively inhibits RNA polymerase and prevents replication of the viral genome. There are several hypotheses as to how favipiravir-RTP interacts with RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp).
Some studies have shown that when favipiravir-RTP is incorporated into a nascent RNA strand, it prevents RNA strand elongation and viral proliferation. Studies have also found that the presence of purine analogs can reduce favipiravir’s antiviral activity, suggesting competition between favipiravir-RTP and purine nucleosides for RdRp binding.