Arbidol Has Not Confirmed The Effectiveness In The Treatment Of COVID-19 - The Conclusions Of The Chinese Researchers

Arbidol has not confirmed the effectiveness in the treatment of COVID-19 - the conclusions of the Chinese researchers

In the course of research, the drug with a dubious reputation did not help cure the infection, but it caused a lot of side effects.

Chinese scientists have tested the effectiveness of Arbidol, as well as the lopinavir / ritonavir (LPV / r) combination, in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 after the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China included them in the list of potential drugs for a new infection.

The study involved 86 patients with mild and moderate forms of the disease, of which 34 people took the LPV / r combination, 35 - Arbidol, the remaining 17 did not receive any antiviral drugs. All three groups showed a similar clinical picture on days 7 and 14, with no difference in fever reduction, cough relief, or improved CT scan results. In addition, patients in both drug groups experienced side effects - diarrhea, nausea, and loss of appetite - while the untreated control group did not.

"We found that neither LPV / r nor Arbidol can improve the clinical picture in patients and that they can cause some side effects," said one of the study authors, deputy director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at Linghua Hospital in Guangzhou.

The scientist also stressed that doctors should be more careful in using these drugs, and researchers should continue to search for a truly effective drug for coronavirus.