Coronavirus Disease 2019 Treatment: A Review of Early and Emerging Options

McCreary, Erin K; Pogue, Jason M

Real-world data for treatment of COVID-19 with LPV/r are emerging. Young et al [30] reported outcomes of the first 18 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Singapore, 5 of whom received LPV/r monotherapy. Three patients had reduction in oxygen requirements after treatment initiation; 2 deteriorated to respiratory failure. Two of 5 patients (40%) experienced clearance of viral shedding on treatment, and 4 of 5 (80%) experienced adverse events that precluded completion of the planned 14-day treatment course. Other published case reports or case series from Korea and China comprising 6 total patients describe decreased viral load and clinical improvement after LPV/r initiation. These data are difficult to interpret in light of concomitant drug therapies, varied time points of therapy initiation, heterogeneous severity of illness amongst patients, and the lack of comparator treatments [31] [32] [33] . Finally, early reports from Wuhan have described some patients receiving LPV/r in addition to other therapies (including corticosteroids), but clinical outcomes and adverse events are either not described or not delineated by treatment group [34] [35] [36] .