Comparative efficacy and safety of antiviral traditional Chinese medicine injections for viral pneumonia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background Viral pneumonia (VP) is becoming a persistent and pervasive burden of disease. Traditional Chinese medicine Injections (TCMIs) have been proved effective in the treatment of patients with VP, which are now widely used in China. The evidence of TCMIs for VP is evolving rapidly. This study aims to assess the comparative efficacy and safety of TCMIs to provide more evidence and sights for the treatment selection of VP. Research design and methods Seven databases were searched from their inception up to 16 March 2022. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are included to compare the efficacy and safety of antiviral TCMIs for the treatment of viral pneumonia. Clinical efficacy and rate of adverse events were considered as primary outcomes. Results A total of 76 RCTs with eight TCMIs comprising 7925 patients were included in the NMA. According to NMA, Reduning Injection combined with conventional antiviral drugs (CAD) produced superior effects in the effective outcomes and reduced the adverse event incidence rate of VP. Conclusions This study indicated that TCMIs combined with CAD was more effective and safer than CAD monotherapy and compared different TCMIs therapies, which provided guidance and reference for the selection of clinical treatment medication.

Automated summary

This study assessed the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine injections (TCMIs) in the treatment of viral pneumonia. The results showed that TCMIs combined with conventional antiviral drugs (CAD) were more effective and safer than CAD monotherapy.