Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Effective antiviral therapy is important for tackling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We assessed the efficacy and safety of combined interferon beta-1b, lopinavir-ritonavir, and ribavirin for treating patients with COVID-19.Methods
This was a multicentre, prospective, open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial in adults with COVID-19 who were admitted to six hospitals in Hong Kong. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to a 14-day combination of lopinavir 400 mg and ritonavir 100 mg every 12 h, ribavirin 400 mg every 12 h, and three doses of 8 million international units of interferon beta-1b on alternate days (combination group) or to 14 days of lopinavir 400 mg and ritonavir 100 mg every 12 h (control group). The primary endpoint was the time to providing a nasopharyngeal swab negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RT-PCR, and was done in the intention-to-treat population. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04276688.Findings
Between Feb 10 and March 20, 2020, 127 patients were recruited; 86 were randomly assigned to the combination group and 41 were assigned to the control group. The median number of days from symptom onset to start of study treatment was 5 days (IQR 3-7). The combination group had a significantly shorter median time from start of study treatment to negative nasopharyngeal swab (7 days [IQR 5-11]) than the control group (12 days [8-15]; hazard ratio 4·37 [95% CI 1·86-10·24], p=0·0010). Adverse events included self-limited nausea and diarrhoea with no difference between the two groups. One patient in the control group discontinued lopinavir-ritonavir because of biochemical hepatitis. No patients died during the study.Interpretation
Early triple antiviral therapy was safe and superior to lopinavir-ritonavir alone in alleviating symptoms and shortening the duration of viral shedding and hospital stay in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Future clinical study of a double antiviral therapy with interferon beta-1b as a backbone is warranted.Funding
The Shaw-Foundation, Richard and Carol Yu, May Tam Mak Mei Yin, and Sanming Project of Medicine.
SUBMITTER: Hung IF
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7211500 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Hung Ivan Fan-Ngai IF Lung Kwok-Cheung KC Tso Eugene Yuk-Keung EY Liu Raymond R Chung Tom Wai-Hin TW Chu Man-Yee MY Ng Yuk-Yung YY Lo Jenny J Chan Jacky J Tam Anthony Raymond AR Shum Hoi-Ping HP Chan Veronica V Wu Alan Ka-Lun AK Sin Kit-Man KM Leung Wai-Shing WS Law Wai-Lam WL Lung David Christopher DC Sin Simon S Yeung Pauline P Yip Cyril Chik-Yan CC Zhang Ricky Ruiqi RR Fung Agnes Yim-Fong AY Yan Erica Yuen-Wing EY Leung Kit-Hang KH Ip Jonathan Daniel JD Chu Allen Wing-Ho AW Chan Wan-Mui WM Ng Anthony Chin-Ki AC Lee Rodney R Fung Kitty K Yeung Alwin A Wu Tak-Chiu TC Chan Johnny Wai-Man JW Yan Wing-Wah WW Chan Wai-Ming WM Chan Jasper Fuk-Woo JF Lie Albert Kwok-Wai AK Tsang Owen Tak-Yin OT Cheng Vincent Chi-Chung VC Que Tak-Lun TL Lau Chak-Sing CS Chan Kwok-Hung KH To Kelvin Kai-Wang KK Yuen Kwok-Yung KY
Lancet (London, England) 20200510 10238
<h4>Background</h4>Effective antiviral therapy is important for tackling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We assessed the efficacy and safety of combined interferon beta-1b, lopinavir-ritonavir, and ribavirin for treating patients with COVID-19.<h4>Methods</h4>This was a multicentre, prospective, open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial in adults with COVID-19 who were admitted to six hospitals in Hong Kong. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to a 14-day combination of lopinavir ...[more]