The Experience of Using an Azoloazine-Group Drug in the Treatment of Relevant Viral Infections report by T. Ruzhentsova, MD and associate professor, calls Triazavirin, an original Russian drug produced by the Medsintez plant, the frontline choice drug for the treatment and prevention of influenza and ARVI.
The antiviral therapy during influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections is required to reduce the duration and severity of the disease as well as the number of complications and deaths.
Currently, there are multiple factors of the increase in ARVI frequency and complications, including poor environmental conditions, unhealthy diet, low physical activity, allergies, acute intestinal infections, etc. Both outpatients and inpatients show rather high complication rates of about 80%, including pneumonia, which holds the first place, sinusitis, otitis, myocarditis, etc.
Timely prescribed, the antiviral therapy can reduce the number of antibiotics-associated complications.
Unfortunately, administering antibiotics does not result in the desired effect with most respiratory infections. Antibiotics have no effect on a causative agent during the first days of the disease but contribute to the development of complications. A common and undesirable side effect is hepatotoxicity. Another side effect to pay attention to is the extended QT interval. The direct irritating action on the mucous membrane contributes to gastrointestinal tract's malfunctions, causing diarrhea, constipation, bloating and vomiting. With the immunity decreased, risks of cardiovascular diseases grow.
To select a drug for influenza or ARVI, it is necessary to consider available proven evidence of its efficacy and safety.
The antiviral therapy is most effective when it is administered within the first 48 hours from the beginning of the disease. However, most patients with complications are at a later stage of the disease, and the antiviral therapy is required in this situation too. According to applicable clinical guidelines by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Triazavirin (INN - Riamilovir), one of the latest azoloazine-class drugs, is recommended for influenza. Triazavirin is much more effective for circulating causative agents than traditionally used drugs, since the causative agents have already become resistent to a certain extent.
'Developing our new clinical guidelines, we found out that the effectiveness of Riamilovir (Triazavirin) for influenza is comparable to that of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), while Triazavirin offers a wider spectrum of action because it also affects RNA-containing viruses.' It is very important that the drug does not cause any cardiovascular complications and does not interact with other drugs. According to studies, the frequency of repeated virus detection on the 5th day was lower with Triazavirin than with Oseltamivir. When used to treat inpatients at a later stage of the disease, Triazavirin showed results superior to those of Oseltamivir in terms of a patient's temperature readings. Also, Triazavirin effectively reduced the duration of each individual symptom.
Triazavirin should be considered the frontline choice drug for influenza and ARVI.
Triazavirin has a wide spectrum of antiviral activity. According to the results of clinical trials, Triazavirin helps even with a delayed start of treating acute respiratory viral infections and influenza, improves well-being already on the first day, reduces risks of complications; quickly stops clinical signs of a rotavirus infection and prevents condition aggravation; it is effective against RNA viral infections (dengue fever, serous meningitis, tick-borne encephalitis). It reduces the recovery time and the duration of clinical symptoms (intoxication, fever, catarrhal phenomena), regardless of the course starting moment. The treatment is well tolerated by patients and is never accompanied by development of any adverse reactions. In 2017, the medication was included into the federal clinical guidelines of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation as one of four antiviral drugs for influenza.
'When we prescribe this kind of drug, we really cover a wide range of viruses: seasonal circulating respiratory viruses, imported fevers, tick-borne encephalitis, and measles. The experience of using Triazavirin shows that patients have positive dynamics in terms of clinical symptoms, their temperature normalizes very soon, while catarrhal and intoxication symptoms quickly disappear. It is very important that the effect manifests itself at later stages too, so Triazavirin is recommended as a starting therapy drug.
