Background and goal: SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, remains in circulation. The focus has now shifted to testing and treating symptomatic patients. An antiviral drug combination, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, is approved for treating mild to moderately severe COVID-19 in non-hospitalized patients at risk of worsening symptoms, hospitalization, and death.
This systematic review aimed to summarize published evidence on the efficacy , effectiveness, and safety of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for COVID-19. The review also intended to assess the robustness of the evidence from randomized controlled trials. Study approach: A rapid evidence review and comprehensive analysis was conducted.
Researchers included both randomized controlled trials and real-world observational studies, adhering to appropriate WHO and Cochrane guidelines. The review involved thorough literature searches in multiple databases, screening of articles, and detailed data extraction. The outcomes of interest were how well the treatment cleared the virus, prevented symptoms from worsening, and reduced hospitalizations and deaths from any cause.
Outcomes of interest also included the treatment's safety, including any serious side effects. The quality and risk of bias of the studies were assessed using established tools. Researchers performed statistical analyses, including trial sequential analysis, to determine if the sample sizes were sufficient to draw reliable conclusions.
Main results: • R.