Zhangzhang Chen

and 7 more

Objective: To assess the effectiveness and safety of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 caused by the omicron BA. 2. 2 variant. Methods: An observational study was conducted retrospectively to review the outcomes of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients admitted between 26 April and 30 June, 2022. Patients’ baseline characteristics were collected and assessed. Participants in the intervention group were administered nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in addition to standard care, whereas those in the control group only received standard care. The primary outcome was the duration between symptoms onset or the initial positive RT-PCR test and the subsequent conversion to a negative result. Results: The analysis included 324 patients who were administered nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and an equal number of control patients. The patient characteristics in both groups were evenly matched. The average duration from symptoms onset or the initial positive RT-PCR to negative conversion was similar in both groups (16.2±5.0 vs. 16.1±6.3 days, P=0.83). Control patients exhibited slower conversion in comparison to patients who received nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment within 10 days of symptom onset. Conclusion: These findings suggest that administering nirmatrelvir-ritonavir within 10 days of symptom onset could potentially reduce the time it takes for SARS-CoV-2-infected patients to negative RT-PCR results, thereby expanding the current usage guidelines for nirmatrelvir-ritonavir.

chengchun zuo

and 4 more

Can Chen

and 7 more

Aim: Many concerns still existed about the safety of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of HCQ by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Randomized controlled trials reporting the safety of HCQ in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were retrieved from the establishment of the database to February 27, 2020. Literature screening, data extraction, and assessment of risk bias were performed independently by two reviewers. Results: We identified 34 eligible studies that involved 3,639 patients. The difference in the cumulative number of AEs between the HCQ and control group was statistically significant (P<0.0001). The pooled incidence of gastrointestinal AEs, which occurred most frequently in the HCQ group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.0001) according to the system organ class. In addition, the risks of skin and subcutaneous tissue AEs (P = 0.011), renal and urinary disorders (P=0.011), ear and labyrinth AEs (P = 0.045) and surgical and medical procedures AEs (P = 0.020) in HCQ group are also significantly increased compared with the control group. Meanwhile, the cumulative number of SAEs was similar between the two groups (P=0.222). Meta-analysis results indicated that the pooled incidences of all the AEs reported by two or more studies were similar except for the treatment discontinuation caused by AEs (RD 0.02, 95% CI: 0.00 to 0.06). Conclusion: HCQ was well tolerated and might be safe for clinical application under the outbreak of COVID-19.