Pharmacokinetics of ribavirin in the treatment of Lassa fever: An observational clinical study at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria.
Mirjam GrogerPeter AkhidenoChristine J KleistFemi O BabatundeOsahogie EdeaweJulia HinzmannThankGod AkhigbeJoy NwatuzorGloria EifediyiJonas MüllerMette HinrichsMeike PahlmannFrancisca Naana SarpongChristine WagnerAnke ThielebeinLouis AihonwalanTill KochMaria RiednerEphraim Ogbaini-EmovonSylvanus OkogbeninStephan GüntherSebastian G WichaMichael RamharterLisa OestereichSophie DuraffourCyril EramehPublished in: Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2022)
This observational study characterizes the pharmacokinetics of ribavirin in the treatment of Lassa fever indicating consistent exposure across patients. Whereas the only short time interval of concentrations above the IC50 implies rather low antiviral efficacy in vivo, the prominent reduction of cell damage markers might point to indirect - potentially anti-inflammatory - effects of ribavirin. The role of ribavirin in the treatment of Lassa fever requires further scrutiny.