Use of HIV drugs to fight novel coronavirus in patients in S’pore ‘promising’: MOH chief health scientist

SINGAPORE — Singapore is using antiviral drugs typically used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Aids) to help those infected with the novel coronavirus, and the results are promising, the health authorities said on Tuesday (Feb 4).

News of the progress in treatment comes as one 35-year-old male patient from Wuhan, who was the seventh infected patient reported here, was discharged from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases on Tuesday.

Several other cases are also showing positive signs of recovery and more discharges are expected in the coming days.

There is no cure for the novel coronavirus for now, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said at a press conference on Tuesday, “but there are significant efforts looking into developing a treatment and protocol” to help patients recover.

Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, the chief health scientist at the Ministry of Health (MOH), confirmed that a combination drug, known as lopinavir and ritonavir, is being used on “a small number” of the 24 patients in Singapore who have the virus, though the results are still inconclusive.

“A small number are on an antiviral combination — which appears quite promising. Clinical trials have actually started on this in Wuhan and the result should be out, we hope, in the weeks ahead,” Prof Tan said.

“We are not testing (the drug ourselves). There are some clinical trials that have just started and obviously this is much easier to do in a place where there are many patients, such as in Wuhan.”

He added: “The results of the trials will help us to understand how effective they can be.” 

A combination of lopinavir and ritonavir has been studied as a potential treatment for other coronaviruses, such as the strains that caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) in the past.

The early successes in treating this new coronavirus patients with HIV drugs have also been seen in other countries outside China.

On Sunday, Thailand’s health ministry reportedly found a dramatic improvement in a 71-year-old patient whom they had treated with lopinavir and ritonavir, in addition to oseltamivir, an anti-flu drug. Thailand has 25 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, the largest outside China.

Prof Tan said that most of the patients in Singapore are “not that ill” and have been receiving a form of supportive treatment.

Giving an update on the confirmed cases, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, director of medical services at MOH, said that at least three patients are not showing any symptoms at all and are well.

As of noon on Tuesday, 289 of the suspect cases have tested negative for the coronavirus. Test results for the remaining 20 cases are pending.

“One of the patients is being prepared for the possibility of discharge over the next few days. We cannot commit just yet, because it is a decision that the doctors will review on a day-to-day basis and therefore, it is premature for me to say that he will definitely be discharged,” Assoc Prof Mak said.

Many of them continue to make good progress. Five of the patients are being given some oxygen to support their breathing and “this is not surprising in view of the fact that they have pneumonia and this is to support them”, he explained.

None of them is in the intensive care unit or is critically ill at this point in time, he added.