ABSTRACT
As of October 2020, there is still no specific drug to treat COVID-19 as it rages worldwide. Favipiravir, indicated for the treatment of new and re-emerging influenza infections, has been suggested to be effective against SARS-CoV-2, although this is not yet fully validated. We administered favipiravir to a 64-year-old female patient with COVID-19. Her symptoms resolved quickly after the start of treatment, with reduction of SARS-CoV-2 viral load, but she developed a fever again on day 12. Since the fever was relieved by discontinuation of favipiravir, and based on positive results with a drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test, we diagnosed her with favipiravir-induced drug fever. A decrease in the serum concentration of favipiravir was observed along with resolution of the fever. The present case suggests that drug fever should be considered in the differential diagnosis of relapsing fever episodes in COVID-19 patients receiving favipiravir.
Subject(s)
Amides/adverse effects , COVID-19 Drug Treatment , COVID-19/immunology , Fever/chemically induced , Lymphocyte Activation/drug effects , Pyrazines/adverse effects , Amides/pharmacology , Amides/therapeutic use , COVID-19/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Pyrazines/pharmacology , Pyrazines/therapeutic use , Viral Load/drug effectsABSTRACT
A 55-year-old Japanese man was hospitalized with the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). On the 14th day after the start of favipiravir administration, the patient developed a fever with a temperature of 38.1°C. His pulse rate also became elevated to 128 bpm, so relative bradycardia was not suspected. Since he was in good overall health and no concomitant symptoms and signs were apparent, we considered it to be drug fever due to favipiravir. After the completion of favipiravir treatment, the patient's temperature normalized within 24 hours. We herein report this case of drug fever caused by favipiravir.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Pharmaceutical Preparations , Amides , Antiviral Agents/adverse effects , Fever/chemically induced , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pyrazines , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
We herein report the first case of a fever induced by favipiravir, a potential coronavirus disease 2019 therapeutic drug. An 82-year-old man diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia was transferred to our hospital following a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction test. He was treated with compassionate use of favipiravir. Both his oxygen demand and fever gradually improved after admission; however, his fever relapsed, and the C-reactive protein (CRP) levels increased on day 7. We diagnosed his fever as being favipiravir-induced. The fever resolved a few days after favipiravir discontinuation, demonstrating the accuracy of the diagnosis. This case revealed that favipiravir can induce a fever.
Subject(s)
Amides/adverse effects , Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy , Fever/chemically induced , Pneumonia, Viral/drug therapy , Pyrazines/adverse effects , Aged, 80 and over , Amides/therapeutic use , Antiviral Agents/adverse effects , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pyrazines/therapeutic use , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Favipiravir, an antiviral agent, is undergoing clinical trials for treating novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we report two cases of COVID-19 with favipiravir-induced fever. In both cases, pyrexia was observed following the administration of favipiravir despite improvements in symptoms of COVID-19. No other cause for fever was evident after careful physical examination and laboratory investigation. The fever subsided in both patients after the discontinuation of favipiravir. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of favipiravir-induced fever in COVID-19 patients.