Abstract: The outbreak of COVID-19 poses a great threat to human. Favipiravir is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug with a novel mechanism. As a potential drug against SARS-CoV-2, favipiravir is currently conducting clinical trials. This article reviews the structure, mechanism, pharmacokinetics, antiviral activity and synthetic methods of fapilavir, in order to provide a reference for antiviral therapy.