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Favipiravir: A New Medication for the Ebola Virus Disease Pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2014

Takashi Nagata ,
Alan K. Lefor ,
Manabu Hasegawa  and
Masami Ishii
Takashi Nagata*
Affiliation:
Japan Medical Association Research Institute, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Alan K. Lefor
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical School, Shimotsuke, Japan
Manabu Hasegawa
Affiliation:
Shimonoseki-city Public Health Center, Shimonoseki, Japan
Masami Ishii
Affiliation:
Japan Medical Association, Japan.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Takashi Nagata, MD, Japan Medical Association Research Institute, 2-28-16 Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8621, Japan (e-mail: nagata.takashi@kyudai.jp).
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Abstract

The purpose of this report is to advocate speedy approval and less stringent regulations for the use of experimental drugs such as favipiravir in emergencies. Favipiravir is a new antiviral medication that can be used in emerging viral pandemics such as Ebola virus, 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1 virus, Lassa fever, and Argentine hemorrhagic fever. Although favipiravir is one of the choices for the treatment of patients with Ebola virus, several concerns exist. First, a clinical trial of favipiravir in patients infected with the Ebola virus has not yet been conducted, and further studies are required. Second, favipiravir has a risk for teratogenicity and embryotoxicity. Therefore, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor of Japan has approved this medication with strict regulations for its production and clinical use. However, owing to the emerging Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, on August 15, 2014, the Minister of Health, Welfare and Labor of Japan approved the use of favipiravir, if needed. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1-3)

Keywords

Anti-Infective AgentsDisease OutbreaksInfluenzaHuman
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , February 2015 , pp. 79 - 81
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2014 

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