Effectiveness and Optimal Timing of Azvudine in COVID-19 Patients: A Multi-center Retrospective Study in Beijing, China

Abstract Background: Clinical effectiveness of Azvudine against coronavirus infection and optimal time for initiation of Azvudine treatment to hospitalized COVID-19 patients are not fully understood. Methods: This is a multi-center retrospective cohort study, and five clinical centers of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital participated. From omicron pandemics, 6218 hospitalized patients confirmed with COVID-19 from December 10, 2022, to February 20, 2023, were retrieved for this study. After exclusions and propensity score matching , 428 Azvudine recipients and 428 controls were included with a follow-up of 28 days. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality during 28 days of hospitalization, and the secondary outcome was the proportion of patients with clinical improvement up to day 28. Results: The Azvudine group had a lower crude all-cause death rate when compared to the control group (2.82 per 1000 person-days vs. 4.52 per 1000 person-days; HR: 0.63, 95%CI: 0.40-1.00; P=0.038). Notably, the incidence rate of clinical improvement outcome was significantly higher in patients who received Azvudine within 5 days from the onset of symptoms, compared to the control group (Median days: 9 vs. 10; P=0.007). Subgroup analyses showed that chronic lung disease and corticosteroid treatment acted as protective factors (P=0.010; P=0.050). Conclusions: Clinical effectiveness of Azvudine in improving all-cause mortality in COVID-19 patients was seen, and initiation of Azvudine treatment within 5 days of the onset of symptoms was found to be significant. Additionally, the findings revealed the protective effect of Azvudine in COVID-19 patients with chronic lung disease.