HONG KONG, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Researchers from the University of Hong Kong found that the triple antiviral therapy was more effective in alleviating COVID-19 symptoms than lopinavir-ritonavir alone, according to a study released on Friday in the Lancet.
The university's research team recruited 127 COVID-19 patients, median age 52, between Feb. 2 and March 20 from six public hospitals in Hong Kong. Eighty-six of them were assigned to the combination group and were prescribed interferon beta-1b, lopinavir-ritonavir, and ribavirin, while the rest formed the control group, receiving lopinavir-ritonavir only.
The results showed that clinical improvement was significantly better in the combination group, taking averagely four days for patients to have their symptoms alleviated, comparing with eight days in the control group.
The combination group were tested negative for COVID-19 five days earlier than the control group. The hospital stay in the combination group was also shorter.
The study concluded that the 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. Enditem
