An Italian couple, who were quarantined in Rajasthan after they tested positive for the novel coronavirus, have now tested negative for the disease after being treated with drugs used against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to reports.
The 69-year-old man and 70-year-old woman were being given the Lopinavir/ Ritonavir combination – a second-line treatment for HIV, Indian Express reported. A second-line treatment is one which is given after the initial treatment either fails, stops working or has intolerable side effects.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had tweeted that three patients with coronavirus disease, two of whom are seniors (the Italian couple in question) “have been treated successfully and their test reports are now negative.” He congratulated the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) hospital and staff, where the patients were admitted as well.
These anti-HIV drugs were administered after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) got permission for “restricted use” of this drug combination in case there is a coronavirus-related “public health emergency” in India.
While the Italian couple is the first two to recover from COVID-19 using the anti-HIV medication in India, they are not the first in the world.
Thailand reported the first person to have recovered from COVID-19 after being treated with a cocktail of drugs, including Lopinavir and Ritonavir and with a drug for the flu called Oseltamivir. This treatment was given to 10 coronavirus positive patients, and improvements were seen in their condition.
China is trying the same combination of drugs as well on around 200 coronavirus patients who are being monitored.
It is important to remember, however, that experts around the world are still trying to understand the novel coronavirus, its effects on people and what treatments are most effective for it.
Senior officials from ICMR have said that the recovery of the Italian couple in Rajasthan cannot be taken to be proof of the efficacy of the drugs. Dr R R Gangakhedhar, head of epidemiology and communicable diseases, told Indian Express that they would wait for the findings of the large-scale trial underway in China.