Flu and HIV medication combo may fight coronavirus in absence of proven therapy

Thailand: Amidst the recent 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak that has reportedly claimed lives of more than 360 people in China, researchers from over the world are making efforts to find a way to fight the disease. While researchers race to develop a new Coronavirus vaccine, doctors are using currently available drugs to treat severe cases of the virus.

In a recent breakthrough, the Thai researchers are claiming to have found a solution to deal with the virus.  According to them, they have successfully treated severe cases of the new coronavirus with the combination of medications for flu and HIV -- a mixture of anti-HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir, in combination with flu drug oseltamivir in large doses. The initial results have shown vast improvement in the patient. According to the reports, the patient was declared disease-free within 48 hours of applying the treatment.

Coronaviruses (nCoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.

According to doctors from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, a new approach in coronavirus treatment had improved the condition of several patients under their care, including one 70-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan who tested positive for the coronavirus for 10 days.

"This is not a cure, but the patient's condition has vastly improved. From testing positive for 10 days under our care, after applying this combination of medicine the test result became negative within 48 hours," Dr Kriangska Atipornwanich, a lung specialist at Rajavithi, told reporters.

"The outlook is good but we still have to do more study to determine that this can be a standard treatment."

Chinese health officials have already been administering HIV and flu drugs to fight the coronavirus. The use of the three together in a cocktail seemed to improve the treatment, the Thai doctors said.

Another doctor said that a similar approach in two other patients resulted in one displaying some allergic reaction but the other showed improvement.

"We have been following international practices, but the doctor increased the dosage of one of the drugs," said Somsak Akkslim, director-general of the Medical Services Department, referring to the flu medicine Oseltamivir.

Thailand has recorded 19 cases of coronavirus. Of the Thai patients, eight have recovered and gone home while 11 are still under treatment in hospitals.

Somsak said the health ministry will meet on Monday to discuss the successful treatment in the case of the 70-year-old but said it is still too soon to say that this approach can be applied to all cases.

"Initially we will apply this approach only to severe cases," he said.