The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of oral favipiravir plus standard of care treatment (SOC) compared with placebo plus SOC in reducing the duration of shedding of SARS-CoV2 virus in patients with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19.
Drug: Favipiravir
Favipiravir administered orally, 1800 mg on the first dose (day 1) followed by 800 mg twice daily for the next 9 days (days 2-10).
Drug: Placebo
Placebo to match favipiravir administered orally through day 10.
Other: Standard of care treatment
Standard of care treatment for COVID-19 infection
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of COVID-19 disease:
- If symptomatic, presence of mild to moderate symptoms without signs of
respiratory distress, with positive for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic assay within 72
hours prior to.informed consent.
- If asymptomatic, initial diagnosis obtained no more than 72 hours prior to
informed consent
- Subject agrees to maintain home or other quarantine as recommended by the study
physician, except to visit the study site as required by the protocol
- Members of the same household may participate in the study as long as the inclusion
and exclusion criteria are met
- Males must be sterile, OR agree not to donate semen AND agree to strictly adhere to
contraceptive measures during the study and for seven days following the last dose of
study medication
- Females must be unable to bear children, OR ensure that their male partner is
incapable of fathering a child, OR, if of childbearing potential will strictly adhere
to contraceptive measures during the study and for seven days following the last dose
of study medication
- Females must agree to stop breast-feeding prior to first dose of study drug and
through seven days after completing therapy
- Females must have a negative pregnancy test at screening
- Participant agrees to maintain home or other quarantine as recommended by the study
physician, except to visit the study site as required by the protocol
Exclusion Criteria:
- Concomitant bacterial respiratory infection documented by respiratory culture. NOTE:
Subjects on empirical antibiotic treatment for possible but unproven bacterial
pneumonia, but who are positive for SARS-CoV-2, are allowed in the study (will be
randomized to the same treatment to maintain blinding).
- History of abnormal uric acid metabolism.
- History of hypersensitivity to an anti-viral nucleoside-analog drug targeting a viral
RNA polymerase.
- Abnormal laboratory test results at screening:
- Use of adrenocorticosteroids (except topical or inhaled preparations or oral
preparations equivalent to or less than 10 mg of oral prednisone) or immunosuppressive
or immunomodulatory drugs (e.g., immunosuppressants, anticancer drugs, interleukins,
interleukin antagonists or interleukin receptor blockers). NOTE: Treatment of study
participants following institutional COVID-19 treatment policies or guidelines,
including the use of immunomodulatory medications, is permitted. This excludes
treatment with agents that have the potential for direct antiviral activity, including
convalescent plasma and NO, and co-enrollment into other clinical studies that
evaluate investigational agents for COVID-19.
- Serious chronic disease (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus [HIV], cancer requiring
chemotherapy within the preceding 6 months, and/or moderate or severe hepatic
insufficiency).
- Previously received favipiravir within the past 30 days.
- Advanced kidney disease
- Advanced liver disease
- History of alcohol or drug abuse in the previous two years.
- Psychiatric illness that is not well controlled (defined as stable on a regimen for
more than one year).
- Taken another investigational drug within the past 30 days.
- Seemed by the Investigator to be ineligible for any reason.
Stanford University
Stanford, California, United States
Yvonne (Bonnie) A Maldonado, MD, Principal Investigator
Stanford University