Oral azvudine for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in high risk, nonhospitalized adults: Results of a real-world study

Abstract

Azvudine is recommended by Chinese health authorities for COVID-19 treatment but has not been tested in real-world clinical studies. This study aimed to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of Azvudine among COVID-19 nonhospitalized patients. This was a retrospective cohort study, looking at nonhospitalized patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Patients admitted between December 19, 2022 and January 5, 2023 were included. Those who received Azvudine treatment were in the Azvudine group, while those who received supportive treatment were the control group. The primary outcome was the disease progression rate by Day 28. Secondary outcomes were individual disease progression outcomes (death or COVID-19-related hospitalization) and duration of fever. The safety outcomes were assessed based on adverse events (AEs) overall, as well as AEs that were considered to be related to the drug. A total of 804 patients with high risk for progression were enrolled in our study. Among them, 317 (39.43%) received treatment with Azvudine. Our study found that Azvudine could reduce the rate of disease progression, as well as rate of COVID-19-related hospitalization in patients comparing the control group. Furthermore, if taken within 3 days of the onset of symptoms, it could also shorten the duration of fever. Despite a higher incidence of drug-related AEs compared to supportive treatment, the majority of these were mild. Azvudine has been found to be effective in reducing the rate of disease progression of COVID-19, albeit with a slight increase in AEs.

Keywords: Azvudine; COVID-19; effectiveness and safety; real-world study.