Optimal dose and safety of intravenous favipiravir in hospitalised patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a Phase Ib, open-label, dose-escalating, randomised controlled study

Background

AGILE ( NCT04746183 ) is a Phase Ib/IIa platform, evaluating candidates to treat COVID-19. CST-6 evaluated the safety and optimal dose of a novel intravenous (IV) formulation of favipiravir.

Methods

CST-6 was a dose-escalating, open-label, randomised, controlled, Bayesian adaptive Phase Ib trial. Hospitalised adults with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, within 14 days of symptomatic COVID-19 were randomised 2:1 in groups of 6 (n = 4 favipiravir, n = 2 standard of care (SoC)) to ascending doses of IV favipiravir twice daily (b.i.d.) for 7 days or SoC. Clinical data, safety evaluations, virology and pharmacokinetic (PK) samples were collected. The primary outcome was safety. Secondary outcomes included clinical, PK and virological endpoints.

Results

24 participants enrolled between 10/Sep/2022 and 01/Nov/2023 [10/24 female; median age 74 years (range 52-93)]. Favipiravir was well tolerated despite a high background rate of unrelated adverse events (AEs). No dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) were observed, with a model-predicted DLT risk of 16.8% and probability of unacceptable toxicity of 2.7% at the highest dose level. No SAEs were deemed related to favipiravir but an expected association with asymptomatic, transient hyperuricaemia was observed. PK exposures increased disproportionally to dose with significant accumulation in plasma, but with marked variability between participants within each cohort.

Conclusions

A novel formulation of favipiravir was safe at sustained high doses that reached PK targets in a study group with frailty and complex health profiles. Plasma concentrations demonstrated accumulation. Significant variability in PK parameters between individuals was noted. We consider doses up to 2400mg b.i.d. to be safe for further evaluation. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04746183

Key points

• A novel intravenous formulation of favipiravir, was safe and well tolerated in a frail and complex population, up to a dose of 2400mg b.i.d.

• Significant inter-individual variability in pharmacokinetic parameters was observed.

• Pharmacokinetic modelling suggests pre-specified target concentrations were met.