Meta-Analysis on the Potency of Favipiravir against SARS-CoV-2 and its Effect on Uric Acid Levels

Abstract

An outbreak of a novel virus, SARS-CoV-2, reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019, caused COVID-19 which led the WHO to declare a state of pandemic due to its high morbidity rates. More than 300 clinical trials have emerged in determining potential sources of treatment. One of the most studied drugs is Favipiravir, an antiviral agent known for treating influenza, which is said to exhibit effects in targeting SARS-CoV-2. Uric acid elevation is one of the adverse effects that may be of clinical importance upon administration to patients with hyperuricemia, impaired kidneys, undertaking medications and with history of gout due to redevelopment of disease. This study aimed to provide a valid estimate of Favipiravir’s potency by determining the proportion of patients who were tested negative for COVID-19 after 10 days and to review the occurrence of uric acid elevation. A search method with inclusion and exclusion criteria was utilized for browsing online databases, namely PubMed, Science Direct, and Embase. Two data mining processes were done and analyses for each objective were made using Mantel-Haenszel Fixed Effects Odd Ratio and Forest Plot. Incidence of viral negativity after 10 days with OR 1.76[0.90, 3.43] and overall effect Z of 1.67 (P = 0.10) showed no statistical significance while occurrence of uric acid elevation with OR 30.69 [1.78, 528.82] and overall effect Z of 2.36 (P = 0.02) showed statistical significance. In conclusion, administration of Favipiravir has no effect on the clearance of SARS-CoV-2 after 10 days and can cause an increase in uric acid levels.