Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36436481›Full record

Trial reportJournal of infection and public health2022

The efficacy of Zafirlukast as a SARS-CoV-2 helicase inhibitor in adult patients with moderate COVID-19 Pneumonia (pilot randomized clinical trial).

M Al Ghobain, F Rebh, A Saad, A H Khan, N Mehyar, A Mashhour, I Islam, Y Alobaida, A S Alaskar, M Boudjelal and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of infection and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 35% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Turkish journal of pharmaceutical sciences · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Coronavirus Anatomy and Its Analytical Approaches for Targeting COVID-19.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2024
    Review
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

M Al GhobainKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: alanezi@hotmail.com.
F RebhPrince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A SaadKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A H KhanKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
N MehyarKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A MashhourKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
I IslamKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Y AlobaidaSudair Pharmaceutical Co, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A S AlaskarKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
M BoudjelalKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
M Al JeraisyKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences · SAPrince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hospital · SA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the efficacy of Zafirlukast as a SARS-CoV-2 Helicase Inhibitor in adult patients with moderate COVID-19 symptoms (hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were not admitted to an intensive care unit).

methodsWe conducted a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, pilot trial with adult patients with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia. The sample was randomized to Zafirlukast 10 mg BD for 10 days plus standard care vs placebo plus standard care. The primary outcome was the complete resolution of all symptoms. The secondary outcomes were the duration of oxygen therapy, and length of hospital stay (LOS).

resultsIn total, 40 patients were randomized (20 to Zafirlukast and 20 to the control). The time to the resolution of clinical symptoms in both groups was not significantly different. Regarding the fever, 0.3 days [95 % CI, - 1.19, 0.69], p = 0.76, for shortness of breath, the difference was 0.4 days [95 % CI, - 2.67, 3.46], p = 0.68, for cough the difference was 0.2 days [95 % CI, - 1.45, 1.95], p = 0.98, for sputum the difference was 0.5 days [95 % CI, - 0.75, 1.85], p = 0.09, for vomiting the difference was 0.1 days [95 % CI, - 0.50, 0.30], p = 0.93, for fatigue the difference was 0.3 days [95 % CI, - 4.32, 3.62], p = 0.64. The LOS per day for the two groups was not significantly different, 1.1 days [95 % CI,- 2.03, 4.28], p = 0.94, nor was the duration of oxygen therapy per days, 1.3 days [95 % CI, - 1.79, 4.49], p = 0.49. Regarding the 7 category ordinary scale, there was no significant difference between the two groups at day 7 (p-value = 0.62), day 14 (p-value = 0.60) and day 28 (p-value = 0.48).

conclusionAmong adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, the treatment with Zafirlukast, compared to placebo, did not significantly improve symptoms resolution.

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentSARS-CoV-2AdultHumansIndolesOxygenPhenylcarbamatesPilot ProjectsSulfonamidesIndolesOxygenPhenylcarbamatesSulfonamideszafirlukastCoronavirusCOVID-19Randomized clinical trialSARS-CoV-2Zafirlukast

Identifiers

PMID36436481
PMCPMC9673052
OpenAlexW4309632001

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.