Rapid review and meta-analysis of adverse events associated with molnupiravir in patients with COVID-19.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety profile of molnupiravir in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, medRxive and Google Scholar were searched for articles published up to April 25, 2022. Meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.

Results: Four trials involving 2241 patients met the inclusion criteria. No significant difference was observed between molnupiravir at 200, 400 and 800 mg compared with placebo (200 mg: risk ratio [RR] = 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78-1.20; P = .80; 400 mg: RR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.64-1.02; P = .07; 800 mg: RR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.83-1.06; P = .36) for any adverse events (AEs); at 200, 400 and 800 mg compared with placebo (200 mg: RR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.41-1.63; P = .57; 400 mg: RR = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.41-1.61; P = .56; 800 mg: RR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.59-1.08; P = .15) for serious adverse events; at 200, 400 and 800 mg compared with placebo (200 mg: RR = 1.74; 95% CI: 0.48-6.30; P = .39; 400 mg: RR = 1.07; 95% CI: 0.28-4.09; P = .91; 800 mg: RR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.17-1.28; P = .14) for AEs leading to death; and at 200, 400 and 800 mg compared with placebo (200 mg: RR = 1.50; 95% CI: 0.26-8.55; P = .64; 400 mg: RR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.17-5.68; P = .99; 800 mg: RR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.31-1.23; P = .17) for treatment discontinuation due to AEs.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that the use of three doses of molnupiravir (200, 400 and 800 mg) is safe for COVID-19 patients. Further research is needed to confirm the present findings.