Introduction
COVID-19,
caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2),
posed an enormous threat to public health1-4. Since
the first case with SARS-CoV-2 was published in December 2019, the
laboratory-confirmed cases are continuously escalating day to day and
spread like wildfire to more than 200 countries and
territories5, 6.
COVID-19
cases are frequently associated with respiratory and multiorgan
dysfunction that result in deaths7-9.
Accordingly,
the use of antiviral drugs in patients with this disease have triggered
questions and whether currently antiviral drugs could be effectively
cured this disease prompts a critical consideration.
Based on results from previous research, the protease inhibitor Kaletra,
in combination with interferon, have modest activity against SARS-CoV
and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV 10-12.
However, A recent research from Cao and colleagues suggested Kaletra
alone had a limited role in COVID-19 treatment 13.
Considering that coronaviruses can hijack the antiviral responses of
type I interferon through structural
and non-structural proteins, utilizing interferon could provide an
effective treatment to target and eliminate
SARS-CoV-214, 15. However,
Channappavanar et al have
demonstrated that the delayed interferon-I expression was
detrimental
in the context of SARS-CoV-1 infection in mice16. In
addition,
retrospective
studies with interferon combined with ribavirin have not shown an
obvious benefit in patients with MERS12, 17. Together,
it is imperative to acknowledge that the therapeutic potential
of
Kaletra and interferon is still controversial in treatment for COVID-19
and begs for further investigation.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
interferon alfa-2b and Kaletra plus interferon alfa-2b for SARS-CoV-2
infection in adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19.