Melatonin reduces COVID-19 risk: real-time meta analysis of 18 studies

Covid Analysis, May 2025

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https://c19early.org/cajmeta.html

Melatonin for COVID-19

11th treatment shown to reduce risk in December 2020, now with p = 0.0000002 from 18 studies.

Lower risk for mortality, ventilation, and recovery.

No treatment is 100% effective. Protocols combine treatments.

5,700+ studies for 135 treatments. c19early.org

Significantly lower risk is seen for mortality, ventilation, and recovery. 9 studies from 9 independent teams in 5 countries show significant benefit.

Meta analysis using the most serious outcome reported shows 43% [30‑54%] lower risk. Results are similar for higher quality studies and slightly worse for Randomized Controlled Trials and peer-reviewed studies. Early treatment is more effective than late treatment.

Control Melatonin

3 RCTs with 268 patients have not reported results (up to 4 years late).

No treatment is 100% effective. Protocols combine safe and effective options with individual risk/benefit analysis and monitoring. Dietary sources may be preferred. The quality of non-prescription supplements varies widely1-3. All data and sources to reproduce this analysis are in the appendix.

7 other meta analyses show significant improvements with melatonin for mortality4-7, mechanical ventilation8, hospitalization6,8, clinical improvement8, and recovery9,10.

7 meta analyses show significant improvements with melatonin for mortality1-4, mechanical ventilation5, hospitalization3,5, improvement5, and recovery6,7.

Important missing comments or errors? Let us know.

1. Pilia et al., Does melatonin reduce mortality in COVID-19?, Annals of Medicine and Surgery, doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103817.sciencedirect.com, doi.org.

2. Tóth et al., Melatonin as adjuvant treatment in COVID-19 patients. A meta-analysis of randomized and propensity matched studies, Signa Vitae, doi:10.22514/sv.2023.076.signavitae.com, doi.org.

3. Amin et al., Role of Melatonin in Management of COVID-19: A Systematic Review, Microbes, Infection and Chemotherapy, doi:10.54034/mic.e1982.edu.pe, doi.org.

4. Qin et al., Benefits of melatonin on mortality in severe-to-critical COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Clinics, doi:10.1016/j.clinsp.2025.100638.sciencedirect.com, doi.org.

5. Taha et al., Safety and efficacy of melatonin as an adjuvant therapy in COVID-19 patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis, Advances in Medical Sciences, doi:10.1016/j.advms.2023.09.007.sciencedirect.com, doi.org.

6. Lan et al., Efficacy of Melatonin in the Treatment of Patients With COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials, Journal of Medical Virology, doi:10.1002/jmv.27595.wiley.com, doi.org.

7. Wang et al., The safety and efficacy of melatonin in the treatment of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Medicine, doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000030874.lww.com, doi.org.

Covid Analysis et al., May 2025, preprint, 1 author.

This Paper Melatonin All

Please send us corrections, updates, or comments. c19early involves the extraction of 100,000+ datapoints from thousands of papers. Community updates help ensure high accuracy. Treatments and other interventions are complementary. All practical, effective, and safe means should be used based on risk/benefit analysis. No treatment or intervention is 100% available and effective for all current and future variants. We do not provide medical advice. Before taking any medication, consult a qualified physician who can provide personalized advice and details of risks and benefits based on your medical history and situation. IMA and WCH provide treatment protocols.

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