• Seye Abogunrin, Alex Adelakun, Titilope Akinola, Usman Bashir, Bisoye Fagbohungbe, Elvira Mueller, Kurt Neeser, Oluseun Ogunnubi, and Krupa Parekh.
• F. Hoffmann - La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland.
• Curr Med Res Opin. 2024 Aug 1; 40 (8): 131113221311-1322.

ObjectiveTo illustrate the challenges encountered when gathering rapidly synthesized evidence in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodsIn this article, we describe the challenges encountered when we performed a systematic literature review (SLR) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy and safety of treatments for severe COVID-19. The methods of the SLR are described in full, to show the context of our objectives. Then we use the results of the SLR to demonstrate the problems of producing synthesized evidence in this setting.ResultsVarious challenges were identified during this SLR. These were primarily a result of heterogeneity in the study methodology of eligible studies. Definitions of the patient populations and outcome measurements were highly variable and the majority of studies demonstrated a high risk of bias, preventing quantitative synthesis of the collated evidence.ConclusionConsolidating evidence from RCTs evaluating COVID-19 interventions was problematic. Guidance is needed for scenarios with high rapid output in primary research.

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