Australian researchers claim they’ve found a cure for novel
coronavirus, COVID-19 after patients they tested responded ‘very well’
to treatment after patients they tested responded ‘very well’.
The researchers at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical
Research believe two drugs may eradicate coronavirus entirely.
According to the researchers, the first drug is a medication used to
suppress HIV, while the other is an anti-malaria treatment known as
chloroquine.
Professor David Paterson, an infectious diseases physician disclosed
that the patients will likely enroll in a clinical trial of both drugs
by the end of March.
He said that it wouldn’t be wrong to consider the drugs a possible ‘treatment or cure’ for the deadly respiratory infection.
Professor Paterson also confirmed that one of the medications was given
to some of the patients, who were first identified as carriers in
Australia, and appeared to lead to the ‘disappearance of the virus’.
He told news.com.au it’s a ‘potentially effective treatment’ that should
be considered for a large scale medical trial immediately.
‘What we want to do at the moment is a large clinical trial across
Australia, looking at 50 hospitals, and what we’re going to compare is
one drug, versus another drug, versus the combination of the two
drugs.’
‘That first wave of Chinese patients we had (in Australia), they all did
very, very well when they were treated with the HIV drug,’ Professor
Paterson said.
Professor Paterson has launched a fundraising appeal alongside the
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital to raise money to support the
clinical trials. The Coronavirus Action Fund hopes to raise $750,000.
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