Physicians from both North and South America have shared encouraging reports that antiviral medications originally developed for HIV and Ebola are showing promise in treating 2019-nCoV. Some patients experienced noticeable improvements in symptoms and breathing within just 24 hours of starting treatment. This is a significant breakthrough.
In Thailand, a medical team treating the country’s 19 confirmed cases has reported early success using lopinavir and ritonavir. They observed marked symptom improvement in a small group of patients within 48 hours of beginning the antiviral combination therapy.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a hospital in Everett, Washington, treated the state's first and only known case of 2019-nCoV with remdesivir. The patient showed signs of improvement within 24 hours, sparking further interest in this drug.
As we first noted when reporting on 2019-nCoV at the start of the outbreak, researchers worldwide quickly began searching for existing antiviral drugs that might be effective against the new coronavirus. This approach is based on identifying proteins in the 2019-nCoV genome that resemble targets of current antiviral medications. Much of this research builds on prior work in coronavirus drug repurposing, which gained momentum after SARS emerged in 2003.
So far, protease inhibitors and reverse transcriptase inhibitors have emerged as the most promising candidates. Lopinavir and ritonavir, developed by Abbvie for HIV, and remdesivir, originally created by Gilead for Ebola, are now considered leading options. These drugs target key viral enzymes, making them potential tools in the fight against 2019-nCoV.
Following these early results, samples of all three drugs are being sent to China for further testing. While they appear to help alleviate symptoms, it remains unclear whether they can significantly reduce mortality in severe cases, speed up recovery, or prevent infection in those exposed but asymptomatic.
However, the pace of research is accelerating. Nine clinical trials have been registered in China to test various treatments for 2019-nCoV. Seven of these involve lopinavir and ritonavir, one uses another antiviral, and the last one relies on corticosteroids. Two of the lopinavir/ritonavir trials are taking place in Wuhan, while others are spread across different locations in China.
If these protease inhibitors prove effective, they are already widely available and easy to administer. Though they've been largely replaced by newer HIV therapies in high-income countries, they are still used daily by tens of thousands of patients in low-income regions. In India, a bottle costs under $25, and multiple manufacturers produce generic versions, meaning there’s potential for large-scale distribution if needed.
Gilead’s ability to rapidly scale up production of remdesivir is less certain, as it is still an experimental drug. However, its initial success has made it a key focus of ongoing studies.
PS: 2019-nCoV is not a bioweapon
These developments have reignited some conspiracy theories, drawing comparisons to the 1995 film *Outbreak*, starring Dustin Hoffman. With hospitals in China now testing HIV drugs against 2019-nCoV, some have wondered: could this be evidence that the virus was engineered using HIV sequences? The answer is no.
While some sequence similarities were found between 2019-nCoV and HIV, these are likely due to random chance. The areas of similarity—found in the spike protein of 2019-nCoV and the gp120 and Gag proteins of HIV—are not the targets of the drugs being tested.
Many viruses rely on proteases to process their proteins, and because these enzymes share structural similarities, protease inhibitors can sometimes be effective across different viruses. This explains why drugs developed for HIV are now being tested against 2019-nCoV. There is no evidence of unique genetic links between the two viruses.
So, while the situation continues to evolve, all available data suggests that 2019-nCoV is not a bioweapon. No need for Hollywood here. But maybe, soon, a toast to science and progress will be in order.
Suzhou Herstar Medical Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.hosunherstar.com