Lopinavir, ritonavir combination has no effect on treating COVID-19

Kaampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The HIV drug Lopinavir, given in combination with Ritonavir has been found not to have any effect in treating COVID-19 in the biggest drug trial to date.

The findings of the trial which were published in the medical journal the Lancet involved 5,040 people from 176 hospitals in the United Kingdom. During the study, 1,616 patients received 400mg of Lopinavir and 100mg of Ritonavir for 10 days until they were discharged while the rest were only given usual care only.

Results from the study which ran from March to June 2020 show that there was no difference in patient outcomes between both groups. The drug was found to have no effect on preventing death, risk of progressing to use of ventilators 28 days after the trial was started.

This is the third study to show that the drug has no effect on COVID-19. Previous studies carried out by Oxford University as part of the recovery trial and published in June 2020 found that the drug had no effect on hospitalized patients. The World Health Organisation later stopped use of the drug as part of its solidarity trial.

Only two drugs have shown efficacy in treating the disease. Studies have shown that Remdesvir reduces the time that severe patients take to recover while Dexamethasone reduces mortality in severe patients. The effect of other drugs such as Azithromycin, Tocilizumab are still undergoing trials.

The drug was thought to be a possible cure because it belongs to a class of drugs that can stop a virus from reproducing, giving a body’s antibodies chance to fight the virus.

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