Glenmark’s Favipiravir Shows Promise for COVID-19 Patients

India-based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals says its antiviral favipiravir has shown promise as a COVID-19 treatment in mild to moderate patients.

Early data from a phase 3 trial in 150 participants found that patients treated with the drug shook off the virus 28.6 percent faster than those who did not receive it. Favipiravir was generally well tolerated, with no serious adverse events or deaths in those patients treated with the drug, the company said.

In addition, about 70 percent of patients treated with favipiravir achieved “clinical cure,” or normalization of symptoms, by day four compared to just under 45 percent for those patients given supportive care alone.

Glenmark received approval in India last month to market favipiravir as FabiFlu for treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infections. The company is currently conducting a postmarket surveillance study of 1,000 patients to monitor the drug’s safety and efficacy.

It is also conducting a separate phase 3 trial of favipiravir with another influenza antiviral, umifenovir, for hospitalized adults with moderate COVID-19 infections. — Jordan Williams