Clinical study on the treatment of Qingfei Paidu Granules combined with nondrug therapy for asymptomatic patients with novel coronavirus

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing for over 2 years with evolving viral strains, including the highly infectious Omicron variant, underscores the pivotal role of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in pandemic intervention. Qingfei Paidu Granules (QFPG) are incorporated into the national TCM diagnosis and treatment protocol. This study aims to assess the clinical effectiveness of QFPG combined with nonpharmacological interventions in asymptomatic novel coronavirus infection.

Materials and methods: Using a full-group randomized controlled trial, asymptomatic individuals from 3 wards of Fangcang Hospital were randomly assigned to 3 groups, each comprising 150 cases: F1, the nonpharmacological treatment group, receiving only Five Elements Music Therapy and Gongfa Therapy; F2, the comprehensive treatment group, receiving QFPG treatment combined with Five Elements Music Therapy and Gongfa Therapy; and F3, the pharmacological treatment group, receiving only QFPG treatment. The treatment duration for each group was 6 days. Clinical efficacy and safety among different treatment groups were observed, including the conversion time of COVID-19 nucleic acid detection, duration of hospitalization, conversion rate from mild to moderate cases, and occurrence of adverse events.

Results: All 450 participants were included and completed the study. The conversion rates on the first day of treatment were 10.7%, 30%, and 11.3% for the F1, F2, and F3 groups, respectively. Compared to F1, both F2 and F3 showed shortened first conversion time and time to double negative results, with first conversion times of 1.92 days for F2 and 2.29 days for F3. Additionally, the time in F2 was shorter compared to F3. Hospitalization duration was shortened in both F2 and F3 compared to F1, with no statistically significant difference between F2 and F3. The conversion rate from mild to moderate cases was lower in both F2 and F3 compared to F1, but the difference between F2 and F3 was not significant.

Conclusion: Combining QFPG with traditional Chinese nonpharmacological interventions effectively shortened the conversion time of COVID-19 nucleic acid detection and reduced the conversion rate from asymptomatic infection to mild/moderate cases. This treatment approach is worth promoting in the management of asymptomatic patients during pandemics.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, ChiCTR2200059007.