Review: Triple combination of interferon beta-1b, lopinavir–ritonavir, and ribavirin in the treatment of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19: An open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial

Review: Triple combination of interferon beta-1b, lopinavir–ritonavir, and ribavirin in the treatment of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19: An open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial

 

This was an open-label, randomized trial comparing clinical outcomes of those on triple combination therapy to those on lopinavir-ritonavir alone, which found that early triple antiviral therapy was safe and superior to lopinavir-ritonavir alone in alleviating symptoms and shortening duration of viral shedding and hospital stay.

  • Multi-center, prospective, open-label, randomized, 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 either:
    • Intervention group: 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)
    • Control group: 14 days of lopinavir 400 mg and ritonavir 100 mg every 12 hrs
  • Primary endpoint was time to achieve a negative RT-PCR result for SARAS-CoV-2 by nasopharyngeal swab, numerous secondary endpoints.
  • 86 in combination group, 41 in control group, all >18 years, with a national early warning score 2 (NEWS2) of at least 1, and symptom duration of 14 days or less upon recruitment
  • 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)
  • No mortality between the groups.

 

|2020-05-12T08:41:33-04:00May 11th, 2020|COVID-19 Literature|Comments Off on Review: Triple combination of interferon beta-1b, lopinavir–ritonavir, and ribavirin in the treatment of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19: An open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial

About the Author: Megan McHenry

Megan McHenry
Megan S. McHenry, MD, MS, FAAP is a pediatrician and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease and Global Health at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. McHenry's research focuses on early childhood development in children living in resource-limited settings. This work is frequently aligned with community-engaged research and dissemination and implementation science frameworks. She primarily conducts research in collaboration with the Academic Model for Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) Research Network in Kenya. Dr. McHenry currently has a career development award through the National Institutes of Health to develop a neurodevelopmental screening program for children born to HIV-infected mothers in Kenya. Dr. McHenry is also the Director of Pediatric Global Health Education and a co-Director of the Morris Green Physician-Scientist Development Program at Indiana University School of Medicine. In additional to global health lectures, she also educates residents and students on early childhood development, basic biostatistical techniques, research methodologies, and research ethics. She mentors multiple pediatric fellows, residents, and medical students interested in early childhood development within global contexts.

Get Involved with Indiana CTSI