Hariyanto 2026: correction to a low-dose naltrexone fibromyalgia review

What they tested

This is a correction notice, not a new study. It fixes errors in the results section and in one figure (Fig. 2D) of Vatvani 2024, a meta-analysis that pooled randomized trials comparing low-dose naltrexone with placebo in fibromyalgia.

The corrected result is the number of patients whose pain improved by at least 30% on low-dose naltrexone compared with placebo.

What they found

As first published, the review said low-dose naltrexone was linked to more patients reaching at least 30% pain improvement than placebo (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.59 to 6.92, P = 0.001, I2 = 0%).

After correction, the effect is smaller and less precise but still favours low-dose naltrexone: OR 2.47 (95% CI 1.10 to 5.54, P = 0.03), with I2 = 7%, a measure of how much the trials' results disagree.

The authors write that the correction does not influence the statistical outcomes, interpretations or conclusions of the original review, and they apologized for the error.

Limits

• The notice doesn't explain what caused the error or which trial data changed.
• It corrects only this one result. The rest of the original review, including its small number of trials, stands as published.

What it means if you're considering naltrexone

The original review's link between low-dose naltrexone and more people getting at least 30% pain relief still holds after the correction, but the effect is smaller than first reported. Anyone citing the 2024 review's figure for this outcome should use the corrected odds ratio.