Visit our Covid-19 microsite for the latest coronavirus news, analysis and updates A clinical trial in Covid-19 patients in China has yielded no therapeutic benefits with AbbVie’s HIV drug combination of lopinavir and ritonavir, marketed as Kaletra.
Findings from the randomised, controlled trial, conducted in 199 patients, have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The primary endpoint of the study was the time to clinical improvement. The medication failed to improve the condition or prevent the death of severely-affected Covid-19 patients, compared to standard care.
Furthermore, patients treated with lopinavir and ritonavir had more gastrointestinal side effects. Treatment with the combination was stopped early in 13