Triple antiviral drug showing promising early signs in a Covid-19 treatment trial

The results of a small trial in Hong Kong indicated that a combination of three antiviral drugs helped relieve symptoms in people with mild to moderate cases of Covid-19 disease and quickly reduced the amount of virus in their bodies.

That trial, which included 12 patients, compared those who received the combination of drugs with lupinavir / ritonavir to treat HIV, ribavirin to treat hepatitis, and the drug interferon beta to treat multiple sclerosis and a control group who received HIV.

The results were published in the Lancet medical journal and showed that the people who received the combined drug reached the point of not detecting the virus in their bodies five days earlier than the participants in the control group, that is, seven days versus 12 days. .

“Our experience shows that initial treatment of Covid-19 cases, which ranged from mild to medium with antivirals, can accelerate virus suppression in the patient’s body, reduce symptoms, and reduce risk for care workers.” said the University of Hong Kong professor Kok Yong Yuen, who co-chaired the research. Health “.