Pharmacologic treatments for covid-19 patients
We are searching the literature every day and collecting data for each RCT of COVID-19 treatment identified.
Below you can access all the treatment comparisons where data are available as well as a table with the general characteristics of each trial. For each treatment comparison, you can access the forest plots for all the outcomes of interest available as well as the Summary of Findings (SoF) table.
We are updating the evidence synthesis every Friday.
Treatment comparisons
We report below the forest plots for the main treatment comparisons.
Please choose a Treatment Comparison:
- a-Lipoic acid vs Placebo
- Aprepitant+Dexamethasone vs Dexamethasone
- Auxora vs Standard care
- Azvudine vs Standard care
- Baloxavir marboxil vs Lopinavir + Ritonavir or Darunavir/Cobicistat + Umifenovir + Interferon-a
- Bromhexine hydrochloride vs Standard care
- C1 Esterase/Kallikrein Inhibitor vs Standard care
- Calcifediol vs Standard care new
- Chloroquine vs Standard Care
- Colchicine vs Standard care/Placebo update
- Convalescent plasma vs Standard care update
- Corticosteroids vs Standard Care/Placebo
- Darunavir/cobicistat vs Standard Care
- Favipiravir vs Umifenovir
- Favipiravir vs Baloxavir marboxil
- Favipiravir vs Lopinavir + Ritonavir or Darunavir/Cobicistat + Umifenovir + Interferon-a
- Favipiravir vs Standard care
- Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell infusion vs Standard care
- Hydroxychloroquine vs Standard Care/Placebo
- Hydroxychloroquine vs Chloroquine
- Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin vs Standard Care
- Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin vs Hydroxychloroquine
- Icatibant vs Standard care
- Icatibant vs C1 Esterase/Kallikrein Inhibitor
- IFX-1 vs Standard care
- Interferon α-2b + Interferon gamma vs Interferon α-2b
- Interferon β-1a vs Standard care update
- Intravenous Immunoglobulin vs Standard care/Placebo
- Lopinavir + Ritonavir vs Standard care
- Lopinavir + Ritonavir + Ribavirin + Interferon-b-1b vs Lopinavir + Ritonavir
- Lopinavir+Ritonavir+Interferon alpha vs Ribavirin+Interferon alpha
- Novaferon vs Lopinavir + Ritonavir
- Novaferon + Lopinavir + Ritonavir vs Lopinavir + Ritonavir
- Novaferon + Lopinavir + Ritonavir vs Novaferon
- Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor vs Standard care
- Remdesivir 10 days vs Standard Care/Placebo
- Remdesivir 5 days vs Remdesivir 10 days
- Remdesivir 5 days vs Standard care
- Ribavirin+Lopinavir+Ritonavir+Interferon alpha vs Ribavirin+Interferon alpha
- Ribavirin+Lopinavir+Ritonavir+Interferon alpha vs Lopinavir+Ritonavir+Interferon alpha
- Ruxolitinib vs Vitamin C
- Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir + Ribavirin vs Standard care
- Sofosbuvir/daclatasvir vs Standard care
- Telmisartan vs Standard care
- Tocilizumab vs Standard care/Placebo
- Umifenovir vs Standard care
- Umifenovir vs Lopinavir + Ritonavir
- Vitamin C vs Placebo
Network diagrams
The nodes represent the interventions being compared in the available RCTs. Two interventions are connected with a line whenever there is at least one RCT comparing them directly. The size of the nodes is proportional to the total number of participants randomised in each intervention and the thickness of the line is proportional to the precision (i.e. the inverse of the variance) of the relative effect for the respective direct comparison. The color of the lines represents the overall risk of bias of the direct comparisons for the outcome that corresponds to each network diagram. When two or more RCTs compare the same pair of interventions, then the risk of bias of that comparison is calculated as the inverse variance weighted average of the study-specific overall risk of bias judgements.
Description of primary studies
In this table, we report the main characteristics of the RCTs identified.
The link in the column Overall risk of bias will give you access to a complete description of the assessment of each risk of bias domain with supports for judgement. The overall risk of bias reported in the table corresponds to the highest risk of bias for the outcomes assessed for the systematic review. The link in the column Full description will give you access to the general characteristics of the study.
The components included in the standard of care vary among the included studies. For example, the standard of care may include antiviral treatments in some studies, but not in others. We are in the process of contacting the study authors to obtain more information.
We acknowledge that we may have been unable to extract some information from pre-prints, as they represent preliminary forms of scientific communication.
| Trial | Funding | Comparisons | Design | Participants | Sample size | Overall risk of bias |
Full description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment 1 | Treatment 2 | |||||||
| IRCT20200328046886N1 Abbaspour Kasgari H, J Antimicrob Chemother , 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Sofosbuvir/daclatasvir + Ribavirin | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate) admitted to a single center in Iran. | N=48 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| CTRI/2020/04/024775 Agarwal A, medRxiv, 2020 Full text |
Public/non profit | Convalescent plasma | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (mild to severe) admitted to 39 centers in India. | N=464 |
High Details |
|
| NCT02735707 Angus DC, JAMA, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Hydrocortisone | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (severe-critical) admitted to 121 centers in 8 countries | N=251 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04345523 Avendaño-Solà C, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary and Commentary |
Public/non profit | Convalescent plasma | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate) admitted to 14 centers in Spain | N=81 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04280705 Beigel JH, N Engl J Med, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Remdesivir | Placebo | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate to critical) admitted to 60 sites in 10 countries. | N=1063 |
Low Details |
|
| NCT04323527 Borba MGS, Jama Netw Open, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Chloroquine - 600mg | Chloroquine - 450mg | RCT | Patients with severe and critical respiratory syndrome secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection treated in a single center in Brazil. | N=81 |
Some concerns Details |
Forest plots |
| ChiCTR2000029308 Cao B, N Engl J Med, 2020 Full text Commentary and Commentary |
Mixed | Lopinavir + Ritonavir | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (severe) admitted to a single center in China. | N=199 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| ChiCTR-OPN-200002958 Cao Y, J Allergy Clin Immun, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Ruxolitinib | Vitamin C | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (severe) admitted to 3 centers in China. | N=43 |
High Details |
|
| NCT04322123 Cavalcanti AB, N Engl J Med, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Hydroxychloroquine | Standard care | RCT | Patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (mild-moderate) admitted to 55 centers in Brazil | N=667 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin | Standard care | |||||||
| Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin | Hydroxychloroquine | |||||||
| ChiCTR2000030254 Chen C, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Favipiravir | Umifenovir | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate and severe) admitted to 3 centers in China. | N=240 |
High Details |
|
| NCT04384380 Chen CP , medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Hydroxychloroquine | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (mild-moderate) admitted to 11 centers in Taiwan | N=33 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04261517 Chen J, J Zhejiang Univ, 2020 Full text |
Public/non profit | Hydroxychloroquine | Standard care | RCT | Treatment-naive patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate) admitted to a single center in China. | N=30 |
High Details |
|
| NCT04252274 Chen J, Open Forum Infect Dis, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Darunavir/cobicistat | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (moderate) admitted to a single center in China | N=30 |
High Details |
|
| ChiCTR2000030054 Chen L, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public | Hydroxychloroquine | Chloroquine | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (mild, moderate) admitted to a single center in China | N=67 |
High Details |
|
| Chloroquine | Standard care | |||||||
| Hydroxychloroquine | Standard care | |||||||
| ChiCTR2000029559 Chen Z, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary and Commentary |
Public/non profit | Hydroxychloroquine | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate) admitted to a single center in China. | N=62 |
Some concerns Details |
|
new 2020-09-17Cheng LL , JAMA, 2020 Full text |
Mixed | Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to three centers in China | N=200 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| EudraCT number: 2020-001934-37 Corral-Gudino L, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
No specific funding | Methylprednisolone | Standard care | RCT | “Patients with COVID-19 (severe) admitted to a 5 centers in Spain” | N=64 |
High Details |
|
| IRCT20100228003449N28 Davoudi-Monfared E, Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Private | Interferon β-1a | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (moderate to critical) admitted to 1 center in Iran. | N=92 |
High Details |
|
| NCT04326790 Deftereos SG, JAMA, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Private | Colchicine | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to 16 centers in Greece. | N=110 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT02517489 Dequin P-F, JAMA, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Hydrocortisone | Placebo | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (severe-critical) admitted to 9 centers in France | N=149 |
Low Details |
|
| NCT04355936 Duarte M, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Telmisartan | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (unclear severity) admitted to 2 centers in Argentina | N=82 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04366908 Entrenas Castillo M, J Steroid Biochem Mo, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Calcifediol | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confimed COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to a single center in Spain | N=76 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| RPCEC00000307 Esquivel-Moynelo I, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | IFN alpha2b+IFN gamma | Interferon alpha2b | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (ambulatory, mild) admitted to a single center in Cuba | N=79 |
High Details |
|
new RCT20200406046963N1Farahani R H , Research square, 2020 Full text |
Public/non profit | Methylprednisolone + prednisolone | SC | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (severe) admitted to a single center in Iran | N=29 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04321278 Furtado RHM, Lancet, 2020 Full text |
Mixed | Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin | Hydroxychloroquine | RCT | Patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (moderate-critical) admitted to 57 centers in Brazil | N=447 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04342182 Gharbharan A, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Convalescent plasma | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (moderate-critical) admitted to 14 centers in the Netherlands | N=86 |
High Details |
|
new IRCT20200501047259N1Gharebaghi N, Research Square , 2020 Full text |
Public/non profit | Intravenous Immunoglobulin | Placebo | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (severe) admitted to a single center in Iran | N=59 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04292899 Goldman JD, N Engl J Med, 2020 Full text Commentary and Commentary |
Private | Remdesivir 5 Days | Remdesivir 10 Days | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate to critical) admitted to 55 centers across 5 countries. | N=402 |
Some concerns Details |
Forest plots |
| NCT04381936 Horby P, medRxiv, 2020 (RECOVERY) Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Hydroxychloroquine | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (mild-critical) admitted to 176 centers in the UK | N=4716 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04381936 Horby P, N Engl J Med, 2020 (RECOVERY Trial) Full text and Full text Commentary |
Public | Dexamethasone | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed and unconfirmed COVID-19 (moderate to critical) admitted to 176 hospitals in the UK | N=6425 |
Some concerns Details |
Forest plot (sub group) |
| ChiCTR2000029387 Huang YQ, Front Pharmacol, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Ribavirin+Lopinavir+Ritonavir+Interferon alpha | Ribavarin+Interferon alpha | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate) admitted to a single center in China | N=101 |
High Details |
|
| Lopinavir+Ritonavir+Interferon alpha | Ribavarin+Interferon alpha | |||||||
| Ribavirin+Lopinavir+Ritonavir+Interferon alpha | Lopinavir+Ritonavir+Interferon alpha | |||||||
| NCT04276688 Hung IF-N, Lancet, 2020 Full text Commentary and Commentary |
Not reported/unclear | Lopinavir + Ritonavir + Ribavirin + Interferon-b-1b | Lopinavir + Ritonavir | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (unclear severity) admitted to six centers in Hong-Kong. | N=127 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04434248 Ivashchenko AA, Clin Infect Dis, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Favipiravir 1800/800mg | Favipiravir 1600/600mg | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate) admitted to 6 centers in Russia | N=60 |
Some concerns Details |
Forest plots |
| Favipiravir 1600/600mg | Standard care | |||||||
| Favipiravir 1800/800mg | Standard care | |||||||
| ChiCTR2000029757 Li L, JAMA, 2020 Full text Commentary Commentary |
Public/non profit | Convalescent plasma | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (severe to critical) admitted to 7 centers in China. | N=103 |
Some concerns Details |
|
new NCT04273763Li T, Clin Transl Sci , 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Bromhexine hydrochloride | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed or clinically suspected COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to a single center in China | N=18 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| RBR-8jyhxh Lopes MIF, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Colchicine | Placebo | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate-critical) admitted to a single center in Brazil | N=38 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| ChiCTR2000029544 Lou Y, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Favipiravir | Baloxavir marboxil | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (unclear severity) admitted to a single center in China. | N=30 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| Baloxavir marboxil | Lopinavir + Ritonavir or Darunavir/Cobicistat + Umifenovir + Interferon-a | |||||||
| Favipiravir | Lopinavir + Ritonavir or Darunavir/Cobicistat + Umifenovir + Interferon-a | |||||||
| RBR-5s2mqg Mansour E, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Icatibant | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (severe) admitted to a single center in Brazil | N=30 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| C1 Esterase/Kallikrein Inhibitor | Standard care | |||||||
| Icatibant | C1 Esterase/Kallikrein Inhibitor | |||||||
| NCT04468646 Mehboob R, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
No specific funding | Aprepitant+Dexamethasone | Dexamethasone | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (moderate-critical) admitted to a single center in Pakistan | N=18 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04345614 Miller J, Crit Care, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Private | Auxora | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate) admitted to 3 centers in USA | N=26 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04304053 Mitjà O, Clin Infect Dis, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Hydroxychloroquine | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (mild) in an ambulatory setting in Spain | N=353 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04343729 Prado Jeronimo CM, Clin Infect Dis, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Methylprednisolone | Placebo | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (moderate-critical) admitted to a single center in Brazil | N=416 |
High Details |
|
| IRCT20100228003449N2 Rahmani H, Int Immunopharmacol, 2020 Full text Commentary |
No specific funding | Interferon β-1b | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to a single center in Iran | N=80 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| ChiCTR2000029853 Ren Z, Adv Sci, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Azvudine | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (mild-moderate) admitted to a single center in China | N=20 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04320615 Rosas I, medRxiv, 2020 Full text |
Mixed | Tocilizumab | Placebo | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (mild-critical) admitted to multiple centers across 9 countries | N=452 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| IRCT20200128046294N2 Sadeghi A, J Antimicrob Chemother, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Sofosbuvir/daclatasvir | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to 4 centers in Iran | N=70 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04411667 Sakoulas G, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Private | Intravenous Immunoglobulin | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to 2 centers in USA. | N=34 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| ChiCTR2000031494 Shu L, Stem Cell Res Ther, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell infusion | Standard care | RCT | “Patients with COVID-19 (mild to severe) admitted to a single center China” | N=41 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04308668 Skipper CP, Ann Intern Med, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Private | Hydroxychloroquine | Placebo | RCT | Symptomatic, non-hospitalized adults with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or probable COVID-19 with high-risk exposure within 4 days of symptom onset. | N=491 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04292730 Spinner CD, JAMA, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Private | Remdesivir 5 days | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (mild-severe) admitted to 105 centers in the USA, Europe and Asia | N=596 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| Remdesivir 10 days | Standard care | |||||||
| Remdesivir 5 days | Remdesivir 10 days | |||||||
| ChiCTR2000029868 Tang W, BMJ, 2020 Full text Commentary and Commentary |
Mixed | Hydroxychloroquine | Standard care | RCT | Patients with COVID-19 (mild, moderate and severe) admitted to 16 centers in China | N=150 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04327401 Tomazini, JAMA, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Dexamethasone | Standard care | RCT | Patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (critical) admitted to 41 centers in Brazil | N=299 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04333420 Vlaar A P J, SSRN, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Private | IFX-1 | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate-critical) admitted to three centers in the Netherlands | N=30 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| ChiCTR2000029765 Wang D, Lancet (pre-print), 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Tocilizumab | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to 6 centers in China | N=65 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| NCT04257656 Wang Y, Lancet, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Mixed | Remdesivir | Placebo | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (severe) admitted to ten centers in China. | N=237 |
Low Details |
|
| NCT04252885 Yueping L, CellPress, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Lopinavir + Ritonavir | Standard care | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (mild-moderate) admitted to a single center in China. | N=86 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| Umifenovir | Lopinavir + Ritonavir | |||||||
| Umifenovir | Standard care | |||||||
| NCT04264533 Zhang J, Research Square, 2020 Full text |
Public/non profit | Vitamin C | Placebo | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (severe-critical) admitted to 3 centers in China | N=56 |
High Details |
|
| ChiCTR2000029496 Zheng F, Int J Infect Dis, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Public/non profit | Novaferon | Lopinavir + Ritonavir | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (moderate-severe) admitted to a single center in China. | N=89 |
Some concerns Details |
|
| Novaferon + Lopinavir + Ritonavir | Lopinavir + Ritonavir | |||||||
| Novaferon + Lopinavir + Ritonavir | Novaferon | |||||||
| ChiCTR2000029851 Zhong M, medRxiv, 2020 Full text Commentary |
Private | a-Lipoic acid | Placebo | RCT | Patients with confirmed COVID-19 (severe-critical) admitted to 1 center in China. | N=17 |
Some concerns Details |
|
