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 .