ArticleEClinicalMedicine2025
Effect of subcutaneous lidocaine-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) on quality of life in patients with post-COVID condition: a 36-week observational interrupted time series study.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It has been retracted, and should not be counted. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Persistent prostaglandin E2 upregulation and hormonal multi-resistance: A hypothesis for long COVID.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Retraction · 2026-03-12Concerns/Issues about Article · Concerns/Issues about Human Subject Welfare · Investigation by Third Party · Lack of IRB/IACUC Approval and/or Compliance ·
- Retracted
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Post-COVID involves persistent, multisystem symptoms which are associated with inflammation, immune dysregulation, and autonomic dysfunction. The effects of currently applied treatments for post-COVID are limited. This study assessed the effectiveness of subcutaneous lidocaine-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) for the treatment of post-COVID. Methods: This interrupted time series study was conducted at a Dutch outpatient clinic between August 2024 and April 2025. Adults with physician-diagnosed post-COVID (n = 103) underwent a 4-week pre-treatment observation followed by 24-36 weeks of home-based subcutaneous lidocaine 5% with HP-β-CD, administered using a 3-phase protocol: 500 mg every other day (weeks 1-7), 500 mg daily (weeks 7-14), and up to 1000 mg/day (after week 14, in non-responders). The primary outcome was health-related quality of life (Short Form-12 (SF-12), physical and mental component summary scores). Secondary outcomes included symptom burden (daily app-based questionnaire) and adverse events. Findings: Among 103 participants (mean [SD] age 48·1 [13·0] years; 67% women; median [IQR] symptom duration 31·5 [24·3-43·3] months), 76% completed 24 weeks and 71% completed 36 weeks of treatment. At week 24, the physical and mental component scores increased by 2·20 and 5·16 points, respectively; at week 36, by 4·13 and 7·00 points (all p < 0·0001). Twenty-seven of 30 symptoms improved significantly at week 24 of treatment compared to pre-treatment. Mild adverse events occurred in 89% of participants, mostly injection-site reactions; no serious adverse events were reported. Interpretation: Subcutaneous lidocaine-HP-β-CD was associated with significantly improved quality of life and symptom burden in patients with post-COVID. This home-administered intervention offers a scalable and potentially disease-modifying approach for a disabling condition with no approved treatment to date. Funding: Excellent Care Clinics funded the treatment provided in this study.
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Registered trials
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.