Favipiravir Approved As Covid Drug

Table of Contents

A breakthrough achieved in fight against COVID19

FabiFlu – Favipiravir manufactured by Glenmark, has received approval for the manufacture and marketing of the antiviral drug.
Favipiravir is one of the medicines that is being explored as a potential treatment for Covid-19.
It is the first medication to be approved and commercially available for the treatment of Covid-19.
Favipiravir, sold under the brand name FabiFlu, Avigan or Abigan, is an antiviral medication used to treat influenza in Japan.
Approved in 2014
Avifavir

Glenmark has said that the drug is advised for mild to moderate Covid-19 cases.
To address urgency of rising Covid-19 cases, Drug Controller General of India fast-tracked permission to Glenmark Pharmaceuticals to manufacture & market favipiravir tablets.

NO , IT IS A PRESCRIPTION DRUG
Also, Doctors will need a patient’s consent before prescribing the drug.
According to Glenmark, the drug can be used in Covid-19 patients with co morbid conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, who have mild to moderate symptoms of the disease.
‘’It offers rapid reduction in viral load within four days and provides faster symptomatic improvement.’’

Studies from Japan, Russia and China have shown positive results.
Favipiravir shows clinical improvements of up to 88% in COVID-19, with rapid reduction in viral load by 4 days
Clinical improvement noted across age groups 20 to >90 years, including in patients with co-morbid conditions like diabetes and heart disease suffering from mild to moderate COVID-19
Currently, the drug is the subject of at least 18 clinical trials involving more than 3,000 patients across India, USA, Canada, Italy, China, France, UK and other countries.

Yes
Favipiravir has so far been approved for experimental use among Covid-19 patients by the regulators of Italy and China.
Commercially launched in Bangladesh.

The drug works by short-circuiting the reproduction mechanism of certain RNA viruses such as influenza.
It hinders the activity of “RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp)” of SARS CoV2.
This leads to the blocking of viral replication and thus reduces the viral load and severity of the disease.

Glenmark has stated that it’s phase three clinical trials using antiviral drug Favipiravir for Covid-19 patients is showing early promising results.
The DCGI has approved the drug for restricted emergency use, even as the results are yet to be declared.
The general stages of the development cycle of a vaccine are

Once a drug enters public use, researchers monitor several thousand volunteers to spot side effects not seen in earlier trials and to track how well the vaccine works over extended periods of time.

In Japan, Avigan’s use has been strictly controlled by the government due to potential risk for teratogenicity.
Teratogen = a drug or other substance capable of interfering with the development of a foetus, causing birth defects.
The mechanism that makes Avigan effective against viruses also makes it destructive to the rapid cell growth of foetuses.

Favipiravir and Umifenovirare the drugs approved by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for clinical trials to treat Covid-19, at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Now in clinical trials-