Using HIV drugs to treat Wuhan pneumonia
The Beijing Health Commission said that three hospitals are treating patients infected with the nCoV virus with HIV drugs.
The information was released on January 26, as part of efforts by Chinese health officials to prevent the spread of the deadly pneumonia.
The drugs used, called Lopinavir and Ritonavir, have been shown to be effective in treating the coronavirus, according to a statement from the Beijing Health Commission. The two antiretroviral drugs, which limit HIV from binding to healthy cells and reproducing, are often used in combination.
The three designated hospitals for testing include Beijing Ditan Hospital, Beijing Youan Hospital, and the No. 5 Medical Center of PLA General Hospital.
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A doctor gives emergency treatment to a patient with pneumonia caused by the nCoV virus. Photo: Reuters |
A new study of 41 cases of nCoV infection in Wuhan published in the medical journal The Lancet on January 24 noted significant clinical efficacy from using an existing drug to treat SARS.
However, experts admit that there is no officially recognized method. Currently, there is no antiviral treatment for the nCoV strain that has been proven to be effective. The combination of Lopinavir and Ritonavir has been shown to be the most clinically effective so far.
On January 25, 62-year-old doctor Liang Wudong, who regularly treated Wuhan pneumonia patients, died. According to Chinese media, Liang was the main doctor who regularly examined and treated patients with nCOV pneumonia at Hubei Xinhua Hospital since the outbreak.
As of January 26, Beijing city recorded 51 cases of pneumonia, of which 2 people have been cured, the remaining 49 people are still hospitalized, 1 person is in critical condition.
The mysterious pneumonia outbreak started in Wuhan, Hubei Province and has spread to cities and provinces across the country. Currently, the country has recorded 1,975 cases and 56 deaths. The virus has also spread to the US, Australia, France and many Asian countries including Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Wuhan and 13 other cities in Hubei province have been locked down in China's unprecedented quarantine effort to contain the spread of the deadly respiratory disease.
Recently, independent research groups from the US and China are also in the process of researching a vaccine against the nCoV virus, expected to test on humans within the next 3 months.
