Small 105 patient RCT in Uganda showing no significant differences. No mortality was reported. The patients were very young (median age 32), recovering in a median time of 3 days with standard of care, so there is little room for a treatment to make improvements. Time since symptom onset is not specified, but the distribution of symptoms at baseline suggests that the enrollment is relatively late within a cohort of low risk patients.
Byakika-Kibwika et al., 6/4/2021, Randomized Controlled Trial, Uganda, Africa, preprint, 17 authors.
recovery time, no change, relative time 1.00, p = 0.91, treatment 36, control 29.
relative improvement in Ct value, 29.3% lower, RR 0.71, p = 0.47, treatment 15, control 15.
risk of COVID-19 case, 2.6% higher, RR 1.03, p = 1.00, treatment 35 of 55 (63.6%), control 31 of 50 (62.0%), day 6.
risk of COVID-19 case, 6.7% higher, RR 1.07, p = 0.85, treatment 27 of 55 (49.1%), control 23 of 50 (46.0%), day 10.
Effect extraction follows
pre-specified rules
prioritizing more serious outcomes. For an individual study the most serious
outcome may have a smaller number of events and lower statistical signficance,
however this provides the strongest evidence for the most serious outcomes
when combining the results of many trials.