• Coronavirus. Silvestri scientist, to reduce deaths "isolate, trace and cure"

Share

March 24, 2020 The Italian Medicines Agency has made available in Italy, without an authorized indication, the combination of two drugs, Lopinavir / Ritonavir, for Covid-19 patients, a fixed dose combination used and authorized for the treatment of infections from HIV, essentially an antiretroviral. A drug for hospital use but which can also be used at home.

The decision had been made by the agency's scientific technical committee, for use out of indication, already last Friday and today, also in light of the new evidence of literature, the choice was confirmed. A first randomized study of Covid-19 patients was performed in Wuhan to test the effectiveness of the Lopinavir-Ritonavir combination. The study, which involved 199 patients, showed no difference in time to clinical improvement and mortality. In China, however, the population studied included patients with advanced disease, while the protocols currently in use at the main clinical centers, as well as the latest Simit Lombardia guidelines, foresee their use in earlier stages and in less compromised patients. "At the moment there are insufficient reasons to exclude the Lopinavir / Ritonavir association for the treatment of Covid-19 patients from reimbursement" reads a note from AIFA which undertakes to constantly monitor all new evidence that will become available over time .