The Dhaka Trial: Clear-Cut Evidence Favipiravir Effective against COVID-19 with Compelling Results
The Bangladesh Society of Medicine (BSM)
concluded from a recent study that Favipiravir evidences “clear cut” safety and effectivity against COVID-19.
Apparently the “Dhaka Trial,”
a randomized and controlled clinical trial conducted in Dhaka revealed similar positive effects of Favipiravir (Avigan) in COVID-19 patients as has been the case in China and Russia.
The clinical trial sponsor, BSM,
observed that of the patients in the clinical trial 96% were found to have negative test results (RT-PCR) after the Favipiravir treatment.
Favipiravir
is approved in multiple countries targeting COVID-19, including China, Russia and India.
The U.S. Department of Defense
spent over $200 million testing it in clinical trials just five years ago for exactly the kind of pandemic now faced.
Why don’t Americans hear more about it?
The ‘Dhaka Trial’
This study’s protocol NCT04402203
was approved by the Directorate General Drug Administration (DGDA) and the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC).
Called the Dhaka Trial,
the double blinded, placebo controlled randomized clinical trial conducted in the nation’s largest city
was reported on recently by
Syed Gulam Mogni Mowla, assistant professor of the Department of Medicine at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Dr. Mala
just presented the results to a seminar titled
“Study on Safety and Efficacy of Favipiravir (Favipira) on COVID-19 patients in selected hospitals of Bangladesh,”
sponsored by BSM along with Beacon Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (BPL) and held at the Dhaka Westin, reports The Daily Star.
According to the study information disclosed in Clinicaltrials.gov, the principal investigators were Ahmedul Kabir, MBBS, FCPS, FACP, and Billal Alam, MBBS, FCPS, MD.
The Results
With 50 COVID-19 positive patients participating, after four days of Favipira treatment,
48% of the patients were COVID-19 negative and by the tenth day, that number came to 96%.
Other findings included:
The patient group on Favipira showed lung function improvement three times higher than the placebo group
The Favipira group had a 44% more viral clearance than those on the placebo
The study team found the Favpira subjects had no significant side effects
Participating sites included Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital,
Dhaka Mahanagar General Hospital,
Kurmitola General Hospital, and
Mugda Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka.