Outcome of early-stage combination treatment with favipiravir and methylprednisolone for severe COVID-19 pneumonia: A report of 11 cases.

Abstract

Although the use of corticosteroids is not recommended in the World Health Organization statement for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), steroid therapy may be indicated for critical cases in specific situations. Here, we report the successful treatment of 11 cases of severe COVID-19 pneumonia with favipiravir and methylprednisolone. All cases were severe and patients required oxygen administration or had a blood oxygen saturation ≤93% on room air. All were treated with favipiravir and methylprednisolone, and 10 of 11 patients responded well and required no further oxygen supplementation or ventilator management. This study shows the importance of the early-stage use of a combination of favipiravir and methylprednisolone in severe cases to achieve a favorable clinical outcome.

• Authors: Kota Murohashi, Eri Hagiwara, Takaaki Kitayama, Takafumi Yamaya, Katsuyuki Higa, Yozo Sato, Ryota Otoshi, Ryota Shintani, Hiroko Okabayashi, Satoshi Ikeda, Takashi Niwa, Atsuhito Nakazawa, Tsuneyuki Oda, Ryo Okuda, Akimasa Sekine, Hideya Kitamura, Tomohisa Baba, Shigeru Komatsu, Tae Iwasawa, Takeshi Kaneko, Takashi Ogura
• Journal: Respiratory investigation (Respir Investig) Vol. 58 Issue 6 Pg. 430-434 (Nov 2020) ISSN: 2212-5353 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 32893160 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2020 The Japanese Respiratory Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Amides
• Antiviral Agents
• Pyrazines
• favipiravir
• Methylprednisolone

Topics

• Amides
• Antiviral Agents (therapeutic use)
• COVID-19
• Humans
• Methylprednisolone
• Pyrazines
• SARS-CoV-2
• Treatment Outcome