A highly sensitive and green electroanalytical method for the determination of favipiravir in pharmaceutical and biological fluids

BACKGROUND: Favipiravir is currently used for the treatment of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). OBJECTIVE: A highly sensitive and eco-friendly electroanalytical method was developed to quantify favipiravir. METHOD: The voltammetric method optimized a sensor composed of reduced graphene oxide / modified carbon paste electrode in the presence of an anionic surfactant, improving the favipiravir detection limit. The investigation reveals that favipiravir-oxidation is a diffusion-controlled irreversible process. The effects of various pH and scan rates on oxidation anodic peak current were investigated. RESULTS: The developed method offers a wide linear dynamic range of 1.5–420 ng/mL alongside a higher sensitivity with a limit of detection in the nanogram range (0.44 ng/mL) and a limit of quantification in the low nanogram range (1.34 ng/mL). CONCLUSION: The proposed method was applied for the determination of favipiravir in the dosage form, human plasma and urine samples. The developed method exhibited good selectivity in the presence of two potential electroactive biological interferants, uric acid which increases during favipiravir therapy and the recommended co-administered vitamin C. The organic solvent-free method greenness was evaluated via the Green Analytical Procedure Index, The present work offers a simple, sensitive and environment-friendly method fulfilling green chemistry concepts. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13065-023-01023-z.