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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Published on: April 19, 2024

Metformin for COVID-19: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Taimoor Tahir¹, Muhammad Abubakr Siddique², Khadija Ijaz³

¹Department of Medicine, Kuwait Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan.

Reviews in Medical Virology

|June 6, 2026

Summary

Metformin did not significantly reduce hospitalizations or deaths in COVID-19 patients. While showing potential modest benefits, further large trials are needed to confirm efficacy and safety of metformin for COVID-19 treatment.

Keywords:

COVID‐19 meta‐analysis metformin systematic review

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Published on: April 19, 2024

Area of Science:

Infectious Diseases
Pharmacology
Clinical Trials

Background:

Metformin's potential benefits in COVID-19 require investigation.
Previous studies suggest metformin may reduce hospitalization and symptom duration in COVID-19 patients.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the efficacy and safety of metformin in COVID-19 patients.
To conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing metformin with placebo.

Main Methods:

Systematic search of major databases for RCTs up to November 2025.
Meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4 with random-effects model.
Effect measures included Risk Ratio (RR) and Mean Difference (MD).

Main Results:

Metformin did not significantly reduce the composite outcome of hospitalization, emergency department visits, or death (RR 0.60).
All-cause mortality (RR 1.00) and serious adverse events (RR 2.86) were comparable between metformin and placebo groups.
Low to moderate certainty evidence suggests a potential modest benefit without increased serious adverse events.

Conclusions:

Metformin's role in COVID-19 requires cautious interpretation due to limited trials and heterogeneity.
Further large-scale RCTs are necessary to establish metformin's efficacy and safety for COVID-19.
Current evidence does not strongly support metformin use for COVID-19 treatment.