Efficacy and Safety of Lianhua Qingke Tablets in the Treatment of Long Coronavirus Disease (COVID) Cough: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Clinical Study
Xiaolong Xu,
Jie Ying,
Taiping Tian,
Tengwen Liu,
Chunhua Chi,
Zhizhong Gong,
Jingpeng Gao,
Meiping Qian,
Wei Tan,
Ran Cao,
Shuixian Lv,
Zhougui Ling,
Shuo Wang,
Bo Li,
Qingquan Liu
Affiliations
Xiaolong Xu
Emergency Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China; Beijing Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100010, China; Laboratory for Clinical Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Jie Ying
Medical College of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100020, China
Taiping Tian
National Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Shijiazhuang 050000, China
Tengwen Liu
Basic Medical College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, China
Chunhua Chi
Department of General Medicine, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
Zhizhong Gong
Emergency Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Jingpeng Gao
Department of Pulmonary and Critial Care Medicine, Jiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaxing 314000, China
Meiping Qian
Department of General Medicine, Shuangfeng People's Hospital of Taicang, Suzhou 215416, China
Wei Tan
Respiratory Department, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang 261000, China
Ran Cao
Respiratory Department, Hebei Yiling Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050090, China
Shuixian Lv
Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Chengdu Xindu District Xindu Street Shudu Community Health Service Center, Chengdu 610500, China
Zhougui Ling
Department of Pulmonary and Critial Care Medicine, Liuzhou Worker's Hospital, Liuzhou 545000, China
Shuo Wang
Emergency Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China; Corresponding authors.
Bo Li
Emergency Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China; Beijing Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100010, China; Corresponding authors.
Qingquan Liu
Emergency Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China; Beijing Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100010, China; Laboratory for Clinical Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China; Corresponding authors.
Lianhua Qingke tablets, a patented traditional Chinese medicine that has validated clinical efficacy for treating cough caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, lack rigorous evidence-based research evaluating their effect on long coronavirus disease (COVID) cough. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical study was conducted among patients with long COVID cough from 19 hospitals and 23 community health centers in China. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either Lianhua Qingke tablets or placebo orally for 14 days (four tablets, 1.84 g, three times a day). The primary endpoint indicator was the disappearance of cough, with the remission of cough also considered. Among 482 randomized patients, 480 (full analysis set 480; per-protocol set 470; safety set 480) were included in the primary analysis. According to the full analysis, the time until cough disappearance was significantly shorter in the trial group than in the control group, with a significant increase in the 14-day cough disappearance rate. Accordingly, the time to cough remission was significantly shorter in the trial group than in the control group. The change in the total symptom score was significantly greater in the trial group than in the control group on days 7 and 14, consistent with the results indicated by the visual analog scale (VAS) and cough evaluation test (CET) scores. No serious adverse events were recorded during the study. Lianhua Qingke tablets significantly improved the clinical symptoms of patients with long COVID cough.
