ABSTRACT
Since the beginning of the pandemic, repeated attempts have been made to develop etiotropic therapy for a novel coronavirus infection. Hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, etc. derivatives were used as antiviral agents, however, they demonstrated a low efficiency and an insufficient safety. In this connection, other groups of drugs with a more effective and safe pharmacological profile are currently being actively used. The aim of the study was to analyze the literature references on the efficacy and safety of antiviral drugs for the COVID-19 treatment. Materials and methods. When searching for the materials for the review article writing, such databases as PubMed, Google Scholar, e-Library were used. The search was carried out on publications for the period from January 2020 to September 2022. The key queries were: COVID-19, etiotropic therapy;immunological drugs;antiviral drugs;interferons. Results. Currently, there are various degrees of effective etiotropic drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The review has considered a few groups of drugs that are of interest from the point of view of etiotropic therapy: immunological drugs (anticovid plasma, the drugs based on antiviral antibodies, the drugs of recombinant interferons-alpha2 and -beta1, as well as interferon inducers, i.e., the drugs based on double-stranded RNA sodium salt, and others);drugs that block the penetration of the virus into the cell (umifenovir);the drugs that disrupt the process of the viral replication (favipiravir, remdesivir, molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir). Conclusion. Synthetic antivirals, in particular favipiravir, molnupiravir, remdesivir, and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, have the largest evidence base for their efficacy and safety. The search for new effective and safe etiotropic drugs for the treatment of COVID-19, as well as the collection and analysis of post-registration data on the drugs already used in clinical practice, continues. Copyright © 2022 Volgograd State Medical University, Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Introduction. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an acute infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2). Favipiravir is a synthetic prodrug with antiviral activity used for the treatment of COVID-19. There are oral and parenteral dosage forms of favipiravir. Compared with oral administration, parenteral administration has some advantages. Developing a method for the determination of favipiravir in human blood plasma is necessary for performing the analytical part of clinical studies of favipiravir for parenteral administration as an infusion, studying pharmacokinetics, and choosing the optimal dosage of the drug. Aim. The aim of this study is to develop and validate a method for quantitative determination of favipiravir in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) for pharmacokinetic studies. Materials and methods. Determination of favipiravir in human plasma by HPLC-UV. The UV detection was set at 323 ± 2 nm. The samples were processed by methanol protein precipitation. Internal standard: raltegravir. Mobile phase: 0.1 % formic acid in water with 0.08 % aqueous ammonia (eluent A), 0.1 % formic acid in acetonitrile with 0.08 % aqueous ammonia (eluent B). Column: Phenomenex Kinetex®, C18, 150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm. Analytical range: 0.25–200.00 μg/mL. Results and discussion. This method was validated by selectivity, calibration curve, accuracy, precision, spike recovery, the lower limit of quantification, carry-over effect and stability. Conclusion. We developed and validated the method of quantitative determination of favipiravir in human plasma by HPLC-UV. The analytical range was 0.25–200.00 μg/mL in human plasma. The method could be applied in pharmacokinetics studies of favipiravir. © Komarov T. N., Karnakova P. K., Archakova O. A., Shchelgacheva D. S., Bagaeva N. S., Shohin I. E., Zaslavskaya K. Ya., Bely P. A., 2022.