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.