Triple combination of interferon beta-1b, lopinavir–ritonavir, and ribavirin in the treatment of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19: an open-label, randomised, phase 2 trial

A triple therapy that includes interferon β-1b shortened the duration of viral shedding in patients with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to a phase 2 randomized trial in the Lancet.

Roughly 125 adults in Hong Kong who were hospitalized for COVID-19 were randomized to receive 14 days of either a triple therapy of lopinavir-ritonavir, ribavirin, and interferon β-1b or lopinavir-ritonavir (control group). Patients in the triple therapy group only received interferon if they presented within 7 days of symptom onset.

The time to negative nasopharyngeal swab tests — the primary endpoint — was significantly shorter in the combination therapy group (7 vs. 12 days). The combination group also had better clinical outcomes, including shorter time to symptom alleviation (4 vs. 8 days) and shorter median hospital stay (9 vs. 15 days). Adverse events were similar between groups. In a subgroup analysis, patients in the combination therapy group who did not receive interferon did not have better outcomes than the control group.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31042-4/fulltext