Chinese doctors at the primary hospital treating severe coronavirus patients in the city of Wuhan said they have been using the HIV drug Kaletra since January and believe it is beneficial, despite a previous study that it was ineffective.
They have been prescribing Kaletra, an off-patent version of lopinavir/ritonavir produced by AbbVie, as well as a second drug, bismuth potassium citrate, said Zhang Dingyu, the president of the Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, where the disease originated late last year.
"We believe taking this drug is beneficial," Zhang told reporters on Thursday in reference to Kaletra.
He said doctors at Jinyintan had started prescribing the drug to their patients on Jan. 6. It was one of the first hospitals to start treating infections after the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan in December.