Broad-Spectrum Oral Antiviral Sales Surge for COVID-19 Treatment

United Arab Emirates-based Global Response Aid (GRA) and Pharmax, leading Dubai healthcare solutions providers, announced on October 28, 2021, they have partnered to supply Avigan (Favipiravir) in the UAE.

Favipiravir was added to the list of approved therapeutics in the Dubai Health Authority's (DHA) National Guidelines for Clinical Management and Treatment of COVID-19 in June 2020.

The DHA recognizes the antiviral as an effective treatment option for patients diagnosed with COVID-19. 

Avigan is the branded version of Favipiravir, a broad-spectrum antiviral in oral tablet form initially developed by FujiFilm Toyama Chemical in 2014 and approved in Japan for pandemic influenza.

Avigan is a pyrazinecarboxamide derivative with activity against RNA viruses. Host enzymes convert the antiviral to the ribofuranosyltriphosphate derivative and selectively inhibit the influenza viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

Avigan has received full marketing authorization or emergency use authorization in several markets as a treatment for COVID-19, including Mexico, India, Indonesia, Thailand, UAE, and Malaysia.

Additionally, other countries are buying Avigan under compassionate use programs, including the United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia. 

"We have been working ... to bring Avigan to the UAE to meet the patient and market demand for an effective COVID-19 treatment," stated Dr. Madhukar Tanna, CEO of Pharmax, in a press statement. 

With more than 40 clinical studies (16 in the United States) conducted before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, Avigan has a well-understood safety profile.

As recently announced, a Phase 3 clinical trial in the US-Canada (PRESECO) is evaluating Avigan's efficacy for treating patients with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.

Worldwide sales of Avigan have risen in 2021. GRA, which has joint marketing and distribution rights to Avigan globally outside Japan, China, and Russia, confirmed third-quarter 2021 orders had topped more than $150 million.

Favipiravir-based drugs are sold worldwide, such as Avigan, FabiFlu, Avifavir, Favijaj, Ciplenza, FluGuard, Avifavir, Coronavir, and Reeqonus in Canada.