SynthesisInternational journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases2022
The efficacy and adverse effects of favipiravir on patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published clinical trials and observational studies.
Synthesis in International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Favipiravir for treating COVID-19.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of tocilizumab in the treatment of COVID-19: An umbrella review.Reviews in medical virology · 2022Pooled it
- Favipiravir for Lassa fever: an open-label, randomized controlled phase 2 trial.Nature medicine · 2026Trial
- Multicenter, single-blind, randomized controlled study of the efficacy and safety of favipiravir and nafamostat mesilate in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2023Trial
- Eco-sustainable chromatographic method for the determination of favipiravir and nitazoxanide for COVID-19: application to human plasma.BMC chemistry · 2025Article
- Antivirals in COVID-19: A Focus on Pediatric Cardiac Patients.The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2025Review
- Viral-host molecular interactions and metabolic modulation: Strategies to inhibit flaviviruses pathogenesis.World journal of virology · 2024Review
- Favipiravir pharmacokinetics in Thai adults with mild COVID-19: A sub-study of interpatient variability and ethnic differences in exposure.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2024Article
- Review
- Favipiravir-induced bradycardia: A case report.Clinical case reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Pharmacogenomic Studies of Antiviral Drug Favipiravir.Pharmaceutics · 2024Article
- Impact of common comorbidities on antimicrobial consumption and mortality amongst critically ill COVID-19 patients: A retrospective two center study in Saudi Arabia.Clinical infection in practice · 2023Review
- Protein structure-based in-silico approaches to drug discovery: Guide to COVID-19 therapeutics.Molecular aspects of medicine · 2023Review
- Activation of the urotensin-II receptor by remdesivir induces cardiomyocyte dysfunction.Communications biology · 2023Article
- Kill or corrupt: Mechanisms of action and drug-resistance of nucleotide analogues against SARS-CoV-2.Antiviral research · 2023Review
- Favipiravir for symptomatic COVID-19: A nationwide observational cohort study.Journal of infection and chemotherapy : official journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy · 2023Observational
- Case report: Favipiravir-induced bluish corneal discoloration in infant with COVID-19.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
- COVID-19 Therapeutics: Use, Mechanism of Action, and Toxicity (Xenobiotics).Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology · 2023Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Novel Oral Antivirals in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.Clinical epidemiology · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
23 authors at 17 institutions in 9 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and adverse events of favipiravir in patients with COVID-19.
methodsOur protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020206305). Fourteen databases were searched until February 8
resultsOverall, 157 studies (24 RCTs, 1 non-RCT, 21 observational studies, 2 case series, and 106 case reports) were included. On hospitalized patients, in comparison to standard of care, favipiravir showed a higher rate of viral clearance at day 5 (RR = 1.60, p = 0.02), defervescence at day 3-4 (RR = 1.99, p <0.01), chest radiological improvement (RR = 1.33, p <0.01), hospital discharge at day 10-11 (RR = 1.19, p <0.01), and shorter clinical improvement time (MD = -1.18, p = 0.05). Regarding adverse events, favipiravir groups had higher rates of hyperuricemia (RR = 9.42, p <0.01), increased alanine aminotransferase (RR = 1.35, p <0.01) but lower rates of nausea (RR = 0.42, p <0.01) and vomiting (R R= 0.19, p=0.02). There were no differences regarding mortality (RR=1.19, p=0.32), and increased aspartate aminotransferase (RR = 1.11, p = 0.25). On nonhospitalized patients, no significant differences were reported.
conclusionsAdding favipiravir to the standard of care provides better outcomes for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Pregnant, lactating women, and patients with a history of hyperuricemia should avoid using favipiravir.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.