Condition

Upper respiratory infections

Clinical trials and treatment information for Upper respiratory infections

177.1M
People Affected
50
Active Trials
5B
New Cases/Year
20K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Ibuprofen
80% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 75% Safety• 9 trials• 150K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 200-400mg every 4-6 hours (max 1200mg/day OTC)
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
75
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

30-60 minutes

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for URI symptoms

Response Rate

90%

Remission Rate

%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

3

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

1500

Common Side Effects:

Stomach upset/nausea: 10%
Heartburn: 5%
Headache: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$10

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

$0

Total Annual

$610

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.008

Cost per Responder

$11.11

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Body Temperature101.5 °F (38.6 °C)
-69% (-2.0 °F (-1.1 °C))
Overall Pain SeverityNumeric Rating Scale (NRS) score: 7/10
-42.9% (-3 points)
Total URI Symptom ScoreWisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS-21) score: 45/105
-33.3% (-15 points)
Secondary Benefits
Sleep Quality IndexPittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score: 12/21
-33.3% (-4 points)
Interference with Daily ActivitiesActivity Interference Scale: 7/10
-42.9% (-3 points)
General Well-being ScoreWHO-5 Well-being Index: 50/100
+20% (+10 points)
Common Side Effects
Stomach upset/nausea
+10%
Heartburn
+5%
Headache
+3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Pseudoephedrine
75% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 70% Safety• 24 trials• 25K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 30-60mg every 4-6 hours (max 240mg/day)
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
70
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

30-60 minutes

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for URI symptoms

Response Rate

80%

Remission Rate

%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

5

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

1200

Common Side Effects:

Insomnia: 15%
Nervousness/restlessness: 10%
Headache: 5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$15

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

$0

Total Annual

$615

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.005

Cost per Responder

$18.75

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Nasal Congestion Severity3.0 points (0-4 scale, 4=very severe)
-33.33% (-1.0 points)
Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow (PNIF)70 L/min (impaired)
+21.43% (+15 L/min)
Total Nasal Symptom Score (e.g., congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing)9 points (0-15 scale, 15=very severe)
-27.78% (-2.5 points)
Secondary Benefits
Sleep Quality (due to nasal symptoms)6 points (0-10 scale, 10=worst sleep)
-25% (-1.5 points)
Daily Activity Impairment Score7 points (0-10 scale, 10=complete impairment)
-25.71% (-1.8 points)
Duration of Moderate to Severe Nasal Congestion5 days
-20% (-1.0 day)
Common Side Effects
Insomnia
+15%
Nervousness/restlessness
+10%
Headache
+5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
3
Honey
70% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 90% Safety• 8 trials• 2.5K participants
MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 2.5-10mL as needed, up to 3-4 times daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
90
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

15-30 minutes

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for cough

Response Rate

75%

Remission Rate

%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

4

Common Side Effects:

Minor stomach upset: 0.5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$5

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

$0

Total Annual

$605

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.004

Cost per Responder

$6.67

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Nighttime Cough Frequency15 cough episodes per night
-35% (-5.25 cough episodes per night)
Nighttime Cough Severity4/7 on a 7-point Likert scale
-30% (-1.2 points on a 7-point Likert scale)
Child Sleep Quality4/7 on a 7-point Likert scale of sleep disturbance
-25% (-1 point on a 7-point Likert scale)
Overall Duration of URI Symptoms9 days
-15% (-1.35 days)
Secondary Benefits
Parental Sleep Quality3.5/7 on a 7-point Likert scale of sleep disturbance
-20% (-0.7 points on a 7-point Likert scale)
Incidence of Antibiotic Prescriptions20% of patients receiving antibiotics
-30% (-6 percentage points (e.g., from 20% to 14%))
Caregiver Global Assessment of Child's URI Symptoms3/5 on a 5-point Likert scale (0=no symptoms, 4=severe symptoms)
-25% (-0.75 points on a 5-point Likert scale)
Common Side Effects
Minor stomach upset
+0.5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
4
Dextromethorphan
65% Effectiveness• 75% Confidence• 75% Safety• 6 trials• 12K participants
MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 10-30mg every 4-8 hours (max 120mg/day)
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
75
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

15-30 minutes

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for cough

Response Rate

65%

Remission Rate

%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

9

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

1500

Common Side Effects:

Drowsiness/dizziness: 8%
Nausea: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$10

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

$0

Total Annual

$610

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.003

Cost per Responder

$15.38

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Cough Severity Score4.5 points (0-6 scale)
-25% (-1.1 points)
Cough Frequency10 coughs/hour
-30% (-3 coughs/hour)
Nighttime Cough Interference Score6 points (0-10 scale)
-20% (-1.2 points)
Secondary Benefits
Overall URI Symptom Score (WURSS-21)60 points (0-100 scale)
-12% (-7.2 points)
Sleep Disturbance Score (due to URI)7 points (0-10 scale, 10=maximum disturbance)
-15% (-1.05 points)
Common Side Effects
Drowsiness/dizziness
+8%
Nausea
+3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
5
Saline Nasal Irrigation
60% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 95% Safety• 11 trials• 5.5K participants
MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 1-2 washes per nostril, 1-3 times daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
95
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Immediate

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for nasal symptoms

Response Rate

70%

Remission Rate

%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

7

Common Side Effects:

Nasal discomfort/burning: 8%
Ear fullness: 0.5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$15

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

$0

Total Annual

$615

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.004

Cost per Responder

$21.43

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Nasal Symptom SeverityTotal Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS, 0-15): 10
-25% (-2.5 points)
Overall Illness SeverityGlobal Illness Severity Visual Analog Scale (VAS, 0-100 mm): 70 mm
-20% (-14 mm)
Duration of SymptomsAverage Duration of URI Symptoms: 8 days
-12.5% (-1 day)
Secondary Benefits
Quality of LifeRhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ, 0-6 scale): 3.5
-14.3% (-0.5 points)
Reduction in Analgesic/Decongestant UseFrequency of OTC medication use (days/week): 4 days
-25% (-1 day/week)
Mucociliary Clearance TimeSaccharine Transit Time: 150 seconds
-15% (-22.5 seconds)
Common Side Effects
Nasal discomfort/burning
+8%
Ear fullness
+0.5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
6
Zinc (lozenges/syrup)
55% Effectiveness• 70% Confidence• 85% Safety• 22 trials• 5.2K participants
MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 75-80mg elemental zinc per day
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
85
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Days (reduction in overall duration)

Duration

5-7 days, started within 24 hours of symptom onset

Response Rate

55%

Remission Rate

%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

8

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

600

Common Side Effects:

Taste disturbance (metallic taste): 40%
Nausea/stomach upset: 15%
Diarrhea: 5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$15

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

$0

Total Annual

$615

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.002

Cost per Responder

$27.27

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+55%
Response Rate
+55%
Common Side Effects
Taste disturbance (metallic taste)
+40%
Nausea/stomach upset
+15%
Diarrhea
+5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4