Triple anti-viral drug shows COVID-19 promise in Hong Kong study
Last updated on: 10 May,2020 09:05 am
Triple anti-viral drug shows COVID-19 promise in Hong Kong study
HONG KONG (Web Desk) - Researchers have found that patients suffering milder illness caused by the new coronavirus recover more quickly if they are treated with a three-drug antiviral cocktail soon after symptoms appear.
The small trial, which involved 127 patients, compared those given the combination drug - made up of the anti-HIV therapy lopinavir-ritonavir, the hepatitis drug ribavirin and the multiple sclerosis treatment interferon-beta - with a control group given just lopinavir-ritonavir.
The findings, published in The Lancet medical journal on Friday, showed that, on average, people who got the triple-drug reached the point of no detectable virus five days earlier than those in the control group - at seven days versus 12 days.
"Our trial demonstrates that early treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 with a triple combination of antiviral drugs may rapidly suppress the amount of virus in a patient’s body, relieve symptoms, and reduce the risk to health-care workers," said Kwok-Yung Yuen, a professor at the University of Hong Kong who coled the research.
He said the lower risk to healthcare workers would be due to the combination drug’s effect in reducing "viral shedding" - which is when the virus is detectable and potentially transmissible.