Efficacy of favipiravir in COVID-19 treatment: a multi-center randomized study

Hany M Dabbous, Sherief Abd-Elsalam, Manal H El-Sayed, Ahmed F Sherief, Fatma F S Ebeid, Mohamed Samir Abd El Ghafar, Shaimaa Soliman, Mohamed Elbahnasawy, Rehab Badawi, Mohamed Awad Tageldin, Hany M Dabbous, Sherief Abd-Elsalam, Manal H El-Sayed, Ahmed F Sherief, Fatma F S Ebeid, Mohamed Samir Abd El Ghafar, Shaimaa Soliman, Mohamed Elbahnasawy, Rehab Badawi, Mohamed Awad Tageldin

Abstract

No specific antiviral drugs have been approved for the treatment of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of favipiravir in treatment of COVID-19. This was a multicenter randomized controlled study including 96 patients with COVID- 19 who were randomly assigned into a chloroquine (CQ) group and a favipiravir group. None of the patients in the favipiravir group needed mechanical ventilation (p = 0.129). One patient (2.3%) in the favipiravir group and two patients (4.2%) in the CQ group died (p = 1.00). Favipiravir is a promising drug for COVID-19 that decreases the hospital stay and the need for mechanical ventilation.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04351295.

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of patient inclusion in the study

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