Samantha G Bromfield, Ramu Periyasamy, Veeri Rajendra Babu, Amy Puenpatom, Deanna D Hill
{"title":"Effectiveness of molnupiravir for the treatment of COVID-19: a systematic literature review of real-world observational studies.","authors":"Samantha G Bromfield, Ramu Periyasamy, Veeri Rajendra Babu, Amy Puenpatom, Deanna D Hill","doi":"10.1080/03007995.2025.2551227","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Molnupiravir (MOV), an oral antiviral, is prescribed to treat adult patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at risk of progressing to severe disease. Previous systematic literature reviews (SLRs) have evaluated the effectiveness of MOV in the general population; however, evidence on high-risk population is lacking. This SLR assessed the real-world effectiveness of MOV for reducing the progression to severe COVID-19 outcomes in clinical settings, including high-risk or special populations (such as patients with type 2 diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, immunocompromised conditions, older adults, and nursing home residents) who have limited alternative COVID-19 treatment options.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched EMBASE and PubMed databases for studies published between 1 January 2021 and 24 May 2024, using predefined search terms related to MOV. Studies comparing MOV-treated with untreated groups of non-hospitalized adults at risk of progression to severe COVID-19 outcomes (hospitalization, death, and the composite of hospitalization/death) were included. Risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-one general and special population studies were included. General population studies (<i>n</i> = 16) showed that MOV reduced the risk of death, hospitalization, and hospitalization/death. Special population studies (<i>n</i> = 10; five additional and five general population articles with subgroups of interest) also showed that MOV reduced the risk of the same outcomes, with a more pronounced effect in older adults (≥60 years). The wide range of risk reduction observed might be attributed to variability in COVID-19 hospitalization guidelines and vaccination status.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Findings from this SLR suggest that MOV may reduce the risk of hospitalization, death, and hospitalization/death compared with untreated groups, including high-risk adults with underlying comorbidities. Further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of MOV in high-risk or special populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":10814,"journal":{"name":"Current Medical Research and Opinion","volume":" ","pages":"1417-1438"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current Medical Research and Opinion","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2025.2551227","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/9/5 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: Molnupiravir (MOV), an oral antiviral, is prescribed to treat adult patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at risk of progressing to severe disease. Previous systematic literature reviews (SLRs) have evaluated the effectiveness of MOV in the general population; however, evidence on high-risk population is lacking. This SLR assessed the real-world effectiveness of MOV for reducing the progression to severe COVID-19 outcomes in clinical settings, including high-risk or special populations (such as patients with type 2 diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, immunocompromised conditions, older adults, and nursing home residents) who have limited alternative COVID-19 treatment options.
Methods: We searched EMBASE and PubMed databases for studies published between 1 January 2021 and 24 May 2024, using predefined search terms related to MOV. Studies comparing MOV-treated with untreated groups of non-hospitalized adults at risk of progression to severe COVID-19 outcomes (hospitalization, death, and the composite of hospitalization/death) were included. Risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool.
Results: Twenty-one general and special population studies were included. General population studies (n = 16) showed that MOV reduced the risk of death, hospitalization, and hospitalization/death. Special population studies (n = 10; five additional and five general population articles with subgroups of interest) also showed that MOV reduced the risk of the same outcomes, with a more pronounced effect in older adults (≥60 years). The wide range of risk reduction observed might be attributed to variability in COVID-19 hospitalization guidelines and vaccination status.
Conclusions: Findings from this SLR suggest that MOV may reduce the risk of hospitalization, death, and hospitalization/death compared with untreated groups, including high-risk adults with underlying comorbidities. Further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of MOV in high-risk or special populations.
期刊介绍：
Current Medical Research and Opinion is a MEDLINE-indexed, peer-reviewed, international journal for the rapid publication of original research on new and existing drugs and therapies, Phase II-IV studies, and post-marketing investigations. Equivalence, safety and efficacy/effectiveness studies are especially encouraged. Preclinical, Phase I, pharmacoeconomic, outcomes and quality of life studies may also be considered if there is clear clinical relevance
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
