ABSTRACT
Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had catastrophic consequences globally. Nevertheless, the majority of the global population has not been vaccinated against the disease, and available treatments are limited. FeiDuQing (FDQ), a Chinese medicinal decoction widely used for COVID-19 pneumonia in Xianning City, China, has a cure rate of 98.21%. Therefore, evaluating the role of FDQ in successfully treating patients with COVID-19 is crucial.Methods In this retrospective cohort study, 355 consecutive patients who developed COVID-19 pneumonia between January 15 and February 18, 2020 were included; among them, 213 received FDQ. Data on the demographic characteristics, length of hospitalizations, symptoms at admission and discharge, adverse events, and laboratory parameters were analyzed.Results In contrast to patients who received FDQ, 12 patients who did not receive FDQ (8.45%) developed severe conditions, and one of them died. Furthermore, FDQ treatment was associated with a shortened duration of hospitalization (18.2 vs. 22.1 days, P < 0.0001), even in elderly patients aged > 60 years (18.0 days vs. 26.1 days, P < 0.0001). At discharge, three (1.40%) patients treated with FDQ had mild symptoms, whereas 16 (11.19%) patients not treated with FDQ had various symptoms. The cumulative survival rates of patients treated with FDQ and those not treated with FDQ were 79.04% and 32.60%, respectively (hazard ratio: 0.210, 95% confidence interval: 0.123–0.357, P < 0.001). Additionally, FDQ had no severe adverse effects.Conclusions Our findings suggest that FDQ is a potential therapeutic candidate for fighting COVID-19.