A triple antiviral combination has shown promise in a phase 2 trial of 127 patients in Hong Kong with mild to moderate COVID-19.

The researchers tested a combination of the HIV antiviral lopinavir-ritonavir, the hepatitis C treatment ribavirin and the multiple sclerosis treatment interferon beta-1, and found that the combination suppressed the virus at day seven, five days earlier than in participants given lopinavir-ritonavir alone.

The triple combination was also shown to be safe, with only minor gastrointestinal adverse events, including diarrhea and vomiting.