Favipiravir useless against Covid-19, study shows
Thailand should stop prescribing Favipiravir for Covid-19 patients as a recent study shows the drug is inefficient against the virus, a respiratory specialist said.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Vichaiyut Hospital’s Dr Manoon Leechawengongs cited a study published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal on August 6.
The study, “Favipiravir in patients with early mild-to-moderate Covid-19: A randomised controlled trial”, was conducted on 1,187 Covid-19 patients aged over 18 in the US, Mexico and Brazil from November 2020 to October 2021. Of the patients, 599 were given Favipiravir and 588 a placebo.
The study concluded that though Favipiravir was well tolerated, it lacked efficacy in TT-SCR (time to sustained clinical recovery), progression to severity or cessation of viral shedding. Hence, it was ineffective against Covid-19.
Manoon added that the study also showed that the uric acid count in patients taking Favipiravir had risen by 19.9 per cent compared to just 2.8 per cent in patients taking the placebo. This means the drug could contribute to patients developing gout if they consume Favipiravir.
“It’s time for Thailand to stop using Favipiravir to treat Covid-19 patients and switch to Molnupiravir, which has become cheaper,” Manoon said.
“Our neighbouring countries have stopped using Favipiravir for quite a while and switched to either Molnupiravir or Paxlovid. The GPO [Government Pharmaceutical Organisation] should stop manufacturing or importing Favipiravir and stop distributing to hospitals and pharmacies.”
The Food and Drug Administration of Thailand (FDA) has, so far, approved four antiviral drugs to be used in the country, namely Favipiravir, Remdesivir, Molnupiravir and Paxlovid.
