4.3.1.2. Favipiravir
Favipiraviris a guanine analog and is also an antiviral. This drug has been earlier used for the treatment of influenza in Japan . It is administered as a prodrug and it is converted to its active form i.e., Favipiravir ribofuranosyl phosphate after it is taken up by the infected cells . It is seen to inhibit the RNA- dependent RNA polymerase. The possible mechanism of the activity of this drug is that it gets incorporated into the nascent viral RNA or may bind to conserved polymerase domains . As a result, the process of replication and transcription of the viral genetic material is stopped. A recent study on 80 patients conducted in Shenzhen showed that the viral clearance time significantly decreased and it was also observed that the chest X-ray imaging improved more quickly .