ArticleTuberculosis and respiratory diseases2021
Efficacy and Safety of Azithromycin for the Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Article in Tuberculosis and respiratory diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Antibiotics for the treatment of COVID-19.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Clinical efficacy of Azithromycin for COVID-19 management: A systematic meta-analysis of meta-analyses.Heart & lung : the journal of critical carePooled it
- Effect of Covid-19 pandemic on azithromycin, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin outpatient consumption in Brazil: a joinpoint regression analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Clinical Disease Characteristics and Treatment Trajectories Associated with Mortality among COVID-19 Patients in Punjab, Pakistan.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Local Delivery of Azithromycin Nanoformulation Attenuated Acute Lung Injury in Mice.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Pharmacological treatment of COVID-19: an opinion paper.Revista espanola de quimioterapia : publicacion oficial de la Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia · 2022Review
- Synergistic drug combinations designed to fully suppress SARS-CoV-2 in the lung of COVID-19 patients.PloS one · 2022Article
- Current challenges in different approaches to control COVID-19: a comprehensive review.Bulletin of the National Research Centre · 2022Review
- Pregnancy and COVID-19: prevention, vaccination, therapy, and beyondTurkish journal of medical sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe lack of effective medications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a trend of drug repurposing such as the case of azithromycin which shows immunomodulatory and anti-viral effect. Several clinical trials have shown conflicting results. It is currently unclear whether the available evidence is in favor or against the use of azithromycin in COVID-19 patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of azithromycin in COVID-19 patients.
methodsFour independent reviewers selected relevant studies from PubMed, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, and ProQuest published prior to March 2021. The protocol used in this study has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020224967).
resultsWe included 17 studies and found that the mortality rate (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-1.19), need of respiratory support (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.98-1.73), hospitalization rate (standardized mean difference, 0.12; 95% CI, -0.02 to 0.27), and intensive care unit transfer (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.79-1.86) of azithromycin-treated group did not differ significantly (p>0.05) from those of the control group. Azithromycin treatment did not significantly increase the risk of getting secondary infection (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.83-1.82), hypoglycemia (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.38-1.40), gastrointestinal problems (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.73-1.45) or electrocardiogram abnormalities (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.94-1.42). The overall quality of evidence ranged from low to very low.
conclusionAzithromycin did not result in a superior clinical improvement in COVID-19 patients, although it was well-tolerated and safe to use.
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