LPV/r for COVID-19
Trial question
What is the role of lopinavir/ritonavir in patients with severe COVID-19?
Study design
Single center
Open label
RCT
Population
Characteristics of study participants
40.0% female
60.0% male
N = 199
199 patients (79 female, 120 male).
Inclusion criteria: hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19.
Key exclusion criteria: pregnancy or lactation; known severe liver disease; known HIV infection.
Interventions
N=99 lopinavir/ritonavir (for 14 days).
N=100 no antiviral therapy (standard of care).
Primary outcome
Time to clinical improvement
16 days
16 days
16.0 days
12.0 days
8.0 days
4.0 days
0.0 days
Lopinavir/ritonavir
No antiviral
therapy
No significant
difference ↔
No significant difference in time to clinical improvement (16 days vs. 16 days; HR 1.31, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.85).
Safety outcomes
No significant difference in adverse events (48.4% vs. 49.5%).
Conclusion
In hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19, lopinavir/ritonavir was not superior to no antiviral therapy with respect to time to clinical improvement.
Reference
Bin Cao, Yeming Wang, Danning Wen et al. A Trial of Lopinavir-Ritonavir in Adults Hospitalized with Severe Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2020 May 7;382(19):1787-1799.
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