The information presented in the figure below comes from a living network meta-analysis that combines all the available evidence on drug therapies for COVID-19. This statistical approach allows us to obtain estimates of effect for all potential comparisons, even those that have not been compared head-to-head in trials. We present the most trustworthy estimates of absolute effect for all available drug therapies for COVID-19 versus standard care. The colours distinguish between the most beneficial and harmful interventions compared to standard care, while the shading of cells indicates the certainty of the evidence of a particular drug based on the GRADE approach.
High/ moderate certainty
Low certainty
Very low certainty
No Evidence
Among the most
beneficial
Intermediate
benefit
Not convincingly
different
than standard care
Intermediate
harm
Among the most
harmful
Mortality (closest to 90 days)
|
Mechanical Ventilation (closest to 90 days)
|
Admission to hospital (within 28 days)
|
Venous thromboembolism
|
Clinically important bleeding
|
Length of hospital stay (in days)
|
Time to symptom resolution (in days)
|
Duration of mechanical ventilation (in days)
| ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baseline risk
|
130 per 1,000
|
116 per 1,000
|
0 per 1,000
|
43 per 1,000
|
32 per 1,000
|
17 per 1,000
|
12.8 days
|
9.9 days
|
14.7 days
|
Minimal important difference
|
10 per 1,000
|
15 per 1,000
|
20 per 1,000
|
10 per 1,000
|
20 per 1,000
|
20 per 1,000
|
1 day
|
1 day
|
1 day
|
(acetyl)cysteine
|
(hydroxy)chloroquine
|
ACEi/ARB
|
antihepaciviral
|
aspirin
|
aspirin, statins
|
azithromycin
|
azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine
|
azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine, oseltamivir
|
azithromycin, lopinavir-ritonavir
|
azithromycin, NSAID
|
azithromycin, NSAID, corticosteroid
|
cefepime
|
ceftazidime
|
clarithromycin
|
colchicine
|
colchicine, emtricitabine, tenofovir, statins
|
colchicine, statins
|
corticosteroids (systemic)
|
doxycycline
|
doxycycline, ivermectin
|
doxycycline, lopinavir-ritonavir
|
electrolyzed saline
|
emtricitabine, tenofovir
|
favipiravir
|
favipiravir, hydrochloroquine
|
fluvoxamine
|
full-dose anticoagulant
|
GM-CSF inhibitor
|
IL1 inhibitors
|
IL6 receptor antagonists with corticosteroids (systemic)
|
IL6 receptor antagonists without corticosteroids (systemic)
|
inhaled corticosteroids
|
interferon alfa (subcutaneous)
|
interferon beta (subcutaneous)
|
interferon beta (subcutaneous), lopinavir-ritonavir
|
intermediate-dose anticoagulant
|
intranasal corticosteroids
|
intranasal hypertonic polymer spray
|
ivermectin
|
JAK inhibitors
|
lopinavir-ritonavir
|
melatonin
|
methylene blue
|
molnupiravir
|
nitazoxanide
|
omega 3
|
probiotics
|
proxalutamide
|
recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor
|
remdesivir
|
serine protease inhibitors
|
SGLT2 inhibitors
|
statins
|
sulodexide
|
synthetic VIP
|
tyrosine kinase inhibitors
|
umifenovir
|
vitamin C
|
vitamin D
|
Mortality (closest to 90 days) | Mechanical Ventilation (closest to 90 days) | Adverse effects leading to discontinuation (within 28 days)**** | Admission to hospital (within 28 days) | Venous thromboembolism | Clinically important bleeding | Length of hospital stay (in days) | Time to symptom resolution (in days) | Duration of mechanical ventilation (in days) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-17 (-74 to 66)
|
-16 (-64 to 53)
|
0 (-24 to 23)
| ||||||
10 (-9 to 30)
|
28 (3 to 58)
|
13 (2 to 24)
|
0 (-21 to 33)
|
2.0 (0.0 to 3.9)
|
-1.2 (-2.3 to 0.1)
| |||
-15 (-53 to 35)
|
1 (-36 to 48)
|
4 (-19 to 27)
|
-0.5 (-3.6 to 2.6)
| |||||
-23 (-52 to 10)
|
-27 (-64 to 22)
|
0 (-9 to 8)
|
-1.2 (-4.4 to 2.0)
|
-2.7 (-4.2 to -0.9)
| ||||
-7 (-35 to 21)
|
-8 (-43 to 32)
|
9 (-6 to 24)
|
-42 (-43 to -41)
|
838 (12 to 968)
|
21 (-14 to 121)
|
-0.7 (-5.6 to 4.2)
| ||
68 (-52 to 255)
|
69 (-49 to 251)
|
0 (-9 to 9)
| ||||||
-2 (-25 to 25)
|
-6 (-35 to 26)
|
-2 (-24 to 20)
|
6 (-18 to 48)
|
0.2 (-3.5 to 3.9)
|
-4.2 (-5.5 to -2.6)
| |||
-28 (-88 to 61)
|
76 (-10 to 191)
|
5 (-13 to 23)
|
14 (-25 to 89)
| |||||
164 (-54 to 517)
|
55 (12 to 99)
|
6.8 (-1.1 to 14.8)
|
2.7 (-2.0 to 9.2)
| |||||
-1 (-24 to 23)
| ||||||||
24 (-85 to 225)
|
-56 (-115 to 156)
| |||||||
-27 (-107 to 147)
|
-8 (-107 to 269)
| |||||||
373 (-130 to 870)
|
-3.2 (-5.4 to -0.3)
| |||||||
372 (-130 to 870)
|
-2.7 (-5.1 to 0.4)
| |||||||
-5.4 (-6.7 to -3.5)
| ||||||||
-8 (-39 to 18)
|
-21 (-51 to 11)
|
25 (-10 to 59)
|
-6 (-27 to 30)
|
-0.5 (-3.8 to 2.8)
| ||||
-49 (-90 to 15)
|
-29 (-75 to 45)
|
32 (3 to 61)
|
0.1 (-7.1 to 7.3)
| |||||
-20 (-72 to 56)
|
10 (-54 to 104)
|
14 (-8 to 35)
|
-0.0 (-7.2 to 7.2)
| |||||
-23 (-40 to -7)
|
-22 (-45 to 4)
|
1.0 (-2.1 to 4.2)
|
-1.4 (-3.4 to 0.6)
| |||||
243 (-33 to 669)
|
-44 (-105 to 102)
|
0.2 (-3.1 to 4.4)
| ||||||
-125 (-130 to -83)
|
10 (-7 to 27)
|
-1.8 (-4.5 to 1.9)
| ||||||
-5 (-27 to 17)
| ||||||||
-99 (-127 to -30)
|
27 (-8 to 62)
|
-26 (-38 to -1)
|
-4.2 (-6.2 to -1.4)
| |||||
-25 (-77 to 53)
|
-18 (-69 to 61)
|
22 (-2 to 46)
|
1.0 (-6.3 to 8.2)
| |||||
34 (-41 to 141)
|
47 (-23 to 142)
|
5 (-9 to 20)
|
-3.0 (-4.2 to -1.6)
| |||||
2 (-72 to 117)
|
16 (-54 to 124)
|
3.3 (-2.3 to 11.5)
| ||||||
-34 (-81 to 35)
|
-25 (-68 to 39)
|
-12 (-27 to 9)
| ||||||
-5 (-26 to 18)
|
-34 (-75 to 24)
|
-3 (-29 to 22)
|
-11 (-35 to 46)
|
-16 (-22 to -7)
|
20 (6 to 40)
|
-0.3 (-1.5 to 0.9)
| ||
-26 (-54 to 6)
|
-3 (-62 to 89)
|
-0.9 (-2.7 to 1.3)
| ||||||
-29 (-64 to 18)
|
-18 (-61 to 42)
|
2 (-8 to 12)
|
-1.6 (-4.0 to 1.4)
| |||||
-23 (-36 to -7)
|
-22 (-39 to -2)
|
-4 (-13 to 4)
|
-4.9 (-7.8 to -1.9)
|
-1.0 (-2.2 to 0.2)
| ||||
11 (-11 to 34)
|
-44 (-72 to -5)
|
-2 (-13 to 9)
|
0.1 (-3.7 to 3.9)
|
1.0 (-2.0 to 4.8)
|
-1.6 (-3.3 to 0.1)
| |||
11 (-67 to 140)
|
-0.1 (-3.0 to 3.7)
| |||||||
816 (221 to 870)
|
195 (-94 to 820)
|
-1.2 (-4.2 to 2.9)
| ||||||
2 (-28 to 33)
|
3 (-28 to 41)
|
0 (-30 to 31)
|
-0.1 (-3.4 to 3.1)
|
-1.3 (-3.0 to 0.6)
|
1.2 (-0.3 to 2.7)
| |||
110 (20 to 223)
|
57 (-8 to 139)
|
291 (216 to 366)
|
-0.1 (-2.6 to 3.1)
| |||||
19 (-31 to 83)
|
19 (-61 to 144)
|
19 (-10 to 67)
|
-3 (-14 to 24)
| |||||
-116 (-130 to -35)
|
-8 (-25 to 9)
|
0 (-29 to 56)
|
0.3 (-3.6 to 5.6)
| |||||
43 (-24 to 203)
| ||||||||
-41 (-77 to 7)
|
2 (-50 to 75)
|
3 (-4 to 9)
|
-18 (-32 to 7)
|
-0.2 (-3.8 to 3.4)
|
-1.8 (-3.5 to 0.3)
| |||
-44 (-64 to -20)
|
-23 (-47 to 4)
|
5 (-6 to 16)
|
-0.7 (-2.5 to 1.5)
|
-3.2 (-5.9 to -0.5)
| ||||
7 (-13 to 29)
|
12 (-13 to 39)
|
49 (27 to 72)
|
-8 (-31 to 36)
|
0.4 (-2.2 to 3.0)
|
-0.8 (-2.5 to 1.3)
| |||
-119 (-130 to -87)
| ||||||||
-57 (-93 to -5)
|
-4.4 (-9.68 to 0.89)
| |||||||
-116 (-130 to -76)
|
179 (-116 to 884)
|
0 (-2 to 2)
|
-19 (-29 to -5)
|
-3.3 (-4.8 to -1.6)
| ||||
-40 (-112 to 110)
|
2 (-7 to 10)
|
-14 (-35 to 32)
|
0.9 (-2.6 to 5.7)
| |||||
-108 (-128 to -55)
| ||||||||
25 (-98 to 293)
|
0 (-13 to 13)
|
709 (-43 to 957)
|
-2.6 (-5.0 to 0.6)
| |||||
-111 (-119 to -101)
|
-107 (-113 to -97)
|
-2 (-17 to 14)
|
-41 (-43 to -37)
|
-7.9 (-8.7 to -6.9)
| ||||
-98 (-124 to -43)
|
-95 (-107 to -75)
|
-0.6 (-3.6 to 3.5)
| ||||||
-10 (-31 to 12)
|
-22 (-42 to 1)
|
6 (-6 to 17)
|
-29 (-40 to -6)
|
-0.5 (-3.6 to 2.5)
|
-1.2 (-2.9 to 0.6)
|
-1.2 (-3.9 to 1.4)
| ||
-31 (-95 to 85)
|
160 (-33 to 497)
|
-16 (-63 to 33)
|
-0.2 (-2.8 to 3.0)
| |||||
-28 (-67 to 23)
|
-17 (-58 to 38)
|
-17 (-48 to 13)
| ||||||
44 (-67 to 219)
|
36 (-65 to 202)
|
4 (-8 to 17)
| ||||||
-65 (-119 to 48)
|
-44 (-105 to 93)
|
14 (-44 to 73)
|
-17 (-33 to 15)
|
25 (-29 to 227)
|
-14 (-17 to 3)
| |||
23 (-50 to 132)
| ||||||||
-67 (-100 to -19)
|
-60 (-94 to -3)
|
62 (19 to 105)
| ||||||
-30 (-83 to 53)
|
5 (-24 to 34)
|
-0.1 (-2.2 to 2.5)
| ||||||
-38 (-85 to 30)
|
22 (-42 to 112)
|
-0.1 (-4.8 to 4.6)
|
-0.7 (-3.0 to 2.2)
| |||||
-42 (-88 to 27)
|
-1 (-26 to 24)
|