Supplementary Data — Azithromycin for COVID-19: real-time meta-analysis of 30 studies

October 2026

Azithromycin COVID-19 outcomes

StudyImprovementRR · 95% CIOutcomeTreatmentControlRelative Risk
Omrani (DB RCT)−33%1.33 · 0.30–5.86hosp.4/1523/152Q-PROTECT Omrani (DB RCT)67%0.33 · 0.04–3.17progression1/1523/152Q-PROTECT Omrani (DB RCT)−100%2.00 · 0.51–7.85no recov.6/1523/152Q-PROTECT Omrani (DB RCT)−4%1.04 · 0.89–1.22viral load152 (n)152 (n)Q-PROTECT Rashad (RCT)26%0.74 · 0.53–1.04no improv.37/10746/99 Rashad (RCT)34%0.66 · 0.58–0.75viral time107 (n)99 (n) Lounnas (PSM)27%0.73 · 0.61–0.87death/ICUn/an/a Kuderer−27%1.27 · 0.67–2.32death12/9341/486 Kuderer−152%2.52 · 1.68–3.63death45/18141/486 Cavalcanti (RCT)57%0.43 · 0.13–1.45death5/1727/159COALITION I Cavalcanti (RCT)45%0.55 · 0.13–2.28death3/1725/159COALITION I Cavalcanti (RCT)−54%1.54 · 0.71–3.35ventilation19/17212/159COALITION I Cavalcanti (RCT)18%0.82 · 0.47–1.437-point status172 (n)159 (n)COALITION I Furtado (RCT)−8%1.08 · 0.79–1.47death90/21473/183COALITION II Furtado (RCT)−3%1.03 · 0.76–1.38death66/21455/183COALITION II Furtado (RCT)30%0.70 · 0.47–1.04misc.214 (n)183 (n)COALITION II Furtado (RCT)26%0.74 · 0.51–1.06misc.214 (n)183 (n)COALITION II Frontera−22%1.22 · 0.99–1.51death2,014 (n)1,459 (n) Sekhavati (RCT)67%0.33 · 0.01–7.96death0/561/55 Sekhavati (RCT)86%0.14 · 0.01–2.68ventilation0/563/55 Sekhavati (RCT)72%0.28 · 0.06–1.29ICU2/567/55 Sekhavati (RCT)23%0.77 · 0.62–0.96hosp. time56 (n)55 (n) Yeramaneni7%0.93 · 0.49–1.78death4,003 (n)3,155 (n) Horby (RCT)3%0.97 · 0.87–1.07death561/2,5821,162/5,181RECOVERY Horby (RCT)8%0.92 · 0.79–1.07ventilation211/2,430461/4,881RECOVERY Butler (RCT)50%0.50 · 0.10–2.59ventilation2/4965/625PRINCIPLE Butler (RCT)24%0.76 · 0.18–3.15ICU3/4955/625PRINCIPLE Butler (RCT)16%0.84 · 0.38–1.85oxygen10/49715/625PRINCIPLE Butler (RCT)9%0.91 · 0.49–1.72hosp.16/50022/629PRINCIPLE Butler (RCT)7%0.93 · 0.81–1.05no recov.500 (n)823 (n)PRINCIPLE Gadhiya−73%1.73 · 0.81–3.24death43/18212/101 Corradini−12%1.12 · 0.86–1.46death222 (n)1,479 (n) Kokturk−50%1.50 · 0.49–4.25death34/73833/762 Oldenburg (DB RCT)−788%8.88 · 0.50–158hosp.5/1250/72ACTION Oldenburg (DB RCT)−418%5.18 · 1.24–21.70misc.18/1252/72ACTION Oldenburg (DB RCT)1%0.99 · 0.74–1.33no recov.65/13135/70ACTION Oldenburg (DB RCT)12%0.88 · 0.51–1.50transmission33/52220/278ACTION Ghanei (RCT)19%0.81 · 0.30–2.17death10/2266/110 Ghanei (RCT)51%0.49 · 0.10–2.37ventilation3/2263/110 Ghanei (RCT)24%0.76 · 0.30–1.92ICU11/2267/110 Hinks (RCT)−1%1.01 · 0.06–16.06death1/1451/147ATOMIC2 Hinks (RCT)1%0.99 · 0.49–2.00death/hosp.15/14517/147ATOMIC2 Hinks (RCT)8%0.92 · 0.45–1.77death/hosp.15/14517/147ATOMIC2 Hinks (RCT)80%0.20 · 0.01–4.05progression0/1192/114ATOMIC2 Gyselinck (RCT)−11%1.11 · 0.34–3.63death119 (n)64 (n) Gyselinck (RCT)26%0.74 · 0.31–1.74ventilation119 (n)64 (n) Gyselinck (RCT)−7%1.07 · 0.57–1.99ICU119 (n)64 (n) Gyselinck (RCT)2%0.98 · 0.73–1.32no recov.119 (n)64 (n) AlQadheeb (ICU)−22%1.22 · 0.96–1.55death467/77536/73ICU patients Yilgwan67%0.33 · 0.19–0.58death1,619 (n)1,843 (n) Atefi85%0.15 · 0.01–2.63death0/184/42 Mehrizi32%0.68 · 0.66–0.70deathpopulation-based cohort Donida7%0.93 · 0.56–1.57death180/548101/175 Traore69%0.31 · 0.10–0.97deathn/an/a Dinoi28%0.72 · 0.50–1.04deathcase-control study Alqahtani (ICU)9%0.91 · 0.38–2.19death159 (n)26 (n)ICU patients Piñana58%0.42 · 0.20–0.89deathn/an/a Huh−54%1.54 · 0.48–2.65progression3/6875/2,799 Huh42%0.58 · 0.30–1.12casescase-control study Loucera15%0.85 · 0.76–0.95death2,465 (n)13,503 (n) Dugot12%0.88 · 0.83–0.94casescase-control study
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← Azithromycin
reduces risk
Azithromycin
increases risk →
Fig. S1. All outcomes.
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Fig. S2. Comparison of results for RCTs versus observational studies. For COVID-19 treatments, there is no significant difference between the results of RCTs and observational studies. Observational studies do not systematically over or underestimate efficacy. For high-cost treatments, there is a non-significant trend towards RCTs showing greater efficacy.