Pharmacological effects of favipiravir on coronavirus: An update

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic is the worst health crisis of our time. There is a massive upsurge of the cases and no specific treatment options of this novel virus (SARS-CoV-2).Due to no time for research and development of a new drug or a vaccine, old and existing broad spectrum antiviral drugs were tried and tested. Favipiravir showed promising results in mild to moderate COVID-19 infection in small studies. The drug is approved with precaution under emergency use, as its safety profile is still not clear. We have considered every aspect of favipiravir and compiled all the latest information about the drug in this review article.