Lopinavir-ritonavir alone or combined with arbidol in the treatment of 73 hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A pilot retrospective study

https://doi.org/10.5414/CP203861

73 patients were divided into two groups: group LR (34 cases) and group LR+Ar (39 cases), according to the antiviral agents. The overall cure rate of COVID-19 in group LR+Ar and group LR were 92.3% and 97.1%, respectively, with no significant difference (p = 0.62). In a modified intention-to-treat analysis, lopinavir-ritonavir combined with arbidol led to a median time of hospital stay that was shorter by 1.5 days than in group LR (12.5 days vs. 14 days). The percentages of -COVID-19 RNA clearance was 92.3 in group LR and 97.1 in group LR+Ar which was similar to the cure rate. The median time to nucleic acid turning negative = (date of first negative PCR test) – (date of last positive PCR test) was 8.0 days in both groups with no significant difference (p = 0.59). Treatment of lopinavir-ritonavir combined with arbidol did not significantly accelerate main symptom improvement and promote the image absorption of pulmonary inflammation. No benefit was observed in the antiviral effect of lopinavir-ritonavir combined with arbidol compared with lopinavir-ritonavir alone in the hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

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