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. 2023 Sep 28;15(9):4925-4937.
doi: 10.21037/jtd-23-1093. Epub 2023 Sep 25.

Real-world effectiveness of azvudine for patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariant BA.5 in an intensive care unit

Xiuping Qi  1 , Yun Yang  2 , Baoqiang Gong  2 , Zhiwei Li  3 , Dong Liang  4
Affiliations

Real-world effectiveness of azvudine for patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariant BA.5 in an intensive care unit

Xiuping Qi et al. J Thorac Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Azvudine (FNC) has been shown to be effective against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but data regarding the Omicron BA.5.1.3 subvariant are lacking. This retrospective analysis investigated the effectiveness and safety of FNC against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5.1.3 subvariant in a real-world setting, utilizing data from a patient cohort at our institution.

Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Sanya Central Hospital during the Sanya outbreak (August 13 to September 7, 2022). The patients, all infected with the Omicron BA.5.1.3 subvariant, were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The patients were classified as the FNC (azvudine 5 mg, qd + standard supportive treatment) and non-FNC (standard supportive treatment only) groups.

Results: The study comprised 13 patients, with 6 and 7 in the FNC and non-FNC groups, respectively. Baseline data, clinical features, and imaging manifestations were generally similar between the two groups. However, patients administered FNC demonstrated significantly lower levels of inflammatory indicators at baseline. Although there was no significant difference in the duration of ICU stay between the FNC and non-FNC groups, overall ICU stay appeared to be reduced in the FNC group.

Conclusions: FNC emerges as a feasible treatment against the Omicron BA.5.1.3 subvariant. It may reduce ICU stay and demonstrate a promising safety profile without major side effects or disruption to normal physiological parameters.

Keywords: Azvudine; intensive care unit (ICU); severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 omicron subvariant BA.5 (SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariant BA.5).

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://jtd.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/jtd-23-1093/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Survival curve of time to nucleic acid conversion in the two groups.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences among patient groups in time from initial positive nucleic acid test to initial negative nucleic acid test, as analyzed by (A) disease severity (severe vs. non-severe), (B) age (<60 vs. 60–80 vs. >80 years), (C) sex (male vs. female), (D) comorbidities (high intraoperative risk vs. organ failure vs. others), and (E) all patients. FNC, azvudine.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Differences among patient groups in time from patient administration to the first negative nucleic acid test, as analyzed by (A) disease severity (severe vs. non-severe), (B) age (<60 vs. 60–80 vs. >80 years), (C) sex (male vs. female), (D) comorbidities (high intraoperative risk vs. organ failure vs. others), (E) age (<60 vs. 60–80 vs. >80 years) in the FNC group, and (F) sex (male vs. female) in the FNC group. FNC, azvudine.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Differences in the duration of intensive care unit stay among groups: (A) comparison between the FNC and non-FNC groups; (B) analysis by age (<60 vs. 60–80 vs. >80 years) in the two groups; (C) analysis by age (<60 vs. 60–80 vs. >80 years) in the FNC group; and (D) analysis by sex (male vs. female) in the FNC group. FNC, azvudine.
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