Efficacy of Lianhuaqingwen capsule compared with oseltamivir for influenza A virus infection: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials

Abstract

In this meta-analysis, the authors review the results of studies on the efficacy of lianhuaqingwen capsule (LHQW-C) compared with oseltamivir in treating influenza A virus infection. The authors searched PubMed, Embase, Wanfang Data, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from the date of inception until December 31, 2012. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) were also searched. Five randomized, controlled trials were finally included and analyzed in this review. Compared with individuals treated with oseltamivir, this metaanalysis showed that participants treated with LHQW-C had a shorter duration of (1) fever, weighted mean difference (WMD) = -4.65 (95% CI, -8.91 to -0.38; P = .030); (2) cough, WMD = -9.79 (95% CI, -14.61 to -4.97; P < .0001); (3) sore throat, WMD = -13.01 (95% CI, -21.76 to -4.27; P = .004); and (4) body ache, WMD = -16.68 (95% CI, -32.33 to -1.03; P = .040). The review also found that the efficacy of the 2 treatments on viral shedding was similar with WMD = -0.24 (95% CI, -4.79 to 4.31; P = .920). The authors conclude that LHQW-C was superior to oseltamivir in improving the symptoms of influenza A virus infection.