Objective: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tanreqing Injection (, TRQI) combined with conventional treatment on clinical outcomes in the treatment of patients with influenza.
Methods: The electronic databases searched were Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE (PubMed), EMbase (OvidSP), Chinese Bio-medical Literature and Retrieval System (Sinomed), China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) and WanFang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and we checked the reference sections of the retrieved articles as well. The search was performed in October 2018, and we used the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that corresponded to the new diagnostic criteria for influenza. Two review authors independently screened the internalized articles in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement checklist. We evaluated the quality of the articles and extracted the data from the studies using the Revmen5.3 software.
Results: We included 12 RCTs of over 882 cases in this meta-analysis. Compared to conventional treatment, TRQI combined with conventional treatment could increase the total effective rate [9 RCTs, n=648, odds ratio (OR): 4.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.94, 8.24, P<0.0001, random effects model], decrease the average time for fever clearance [7 RCTs, n=564, mean difference (MD): -1.08, 95% CI: -1.68, -0.48, P=0.0004, random effects model] and decrease the time for resolution of cough (5 RCTs, n=362, MD: -1.76, 95% CI: -2.63, -0.90, P<0.0001, random effects model).
Conclusion: Based on this meta-analysis of RCTs, TRQI combined with conventional treatment had a statistically significant benefit in increasing the total effective treatment rate and reducing the time for fever clearance as well as time for resolution of cough.
Keywords: Tanreqing Injection; influenza; meta-analysis; randomized controlled trial; systematic review.