Coronavirus Treatment: In Kerala, British man cured with HIV drug

New Delhi : A British national, who had tested positive to the coronavirus, was given HIV drug as a cure to the Covid-19, and he has tested negative in two consecutive tests, doctors at the Ernakulam Medical College Hospital in Kochi, Kerala, said today. 

The patient responded well to the drugs combination of Ritonavir and Lopinavir and his latest test results showed he has tested negative for the virus, a hospital statement said.

According to the doctors, the treatment turned effective after the patient was given the drug for seven days.

The result of the test of his samples conducted three days after giving him the drugs returned negative, they said.

Doctors made the disclosure of his recovery after the second test result on March 23 also turned out to be negative.

Kerala used the HIV antiretroviral drug as a treatment for the first time on a COVID-19 patient.

The drug combination was already used to treat patients in a hospital in Jaipur after the Indian Council of Medical Research had given permission to use it.

Earlier, the Union Health Ministry had recommended the use of anti-HIV drug combinations to treat COVID-19 patients on a case-to-case basis.

The swab samples of the UK national's wife, who is also admitted in the isolation ward, tested negative, the statement said.