A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing N-acetylcysteine and Bromhexine in Outpatients with COVID-19

Abstract This study aimed to compare the effects of N-acetylcysteine and Bromhexine on the recovery rate and prevention of hospitalization in outpatients with COVID-19. PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients were divided into three groups: N-acetylcysteine group, Bromhexine group, and control group. Patients were followed up on the seventh and fourteenth days of the disease, and hospitalization and mortality rates were evaluated after one month. The study found that both N-acetylcysteine and Bromhexine can effectively reduce hospitalization rates and mortality and shorten the duration of hospitalization. The third visit of patients who received N-acetylcysteine showed an increase of 1.33% in oxygen saturation compared to their first visit, and in patients who received Bromhexine, this increase was 1.19%. The mortality rate was 9.33% in the control group and zero in both groups of patients who received medication. This study provides evidence for the early initiation of N-acetylcysteine and Bromhexine in outpatients with COVID-19. Clinical trial code: IRCT20220302054167N1, ethics code: IR.UMSHA.REC.1400.957.