The Need for Combination Antiviral Therapy for Effective Treatment of COVID-19

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The World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID19) on 30th January 2020. To date, infections with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus type II (SARS-CoV2) have reached pandemic levels. Despite several clinical trials, there is no specific effective treatment for COVID19.Among the many trialed drugs with demonstrated in-vitro anti-SARS-CoV2 effects, include: Hydroxyl- Chloroquine (HCQ), Azithromycin (AZ), Antivirals (remdesivir-RDV and lopinavir–ritonavirLPV/r), and Ivermectin-IVM. Many of these have only been trialed as monotherapies. Considering the low antiviral efficacy of each monotherapy and promiscuous vulnerability of the Replication Transcription Complex (RTC) of SARS-CoV2, it becomes necessary consider combinational therapies. We propose a new combinatorial regimen comprising of HCQ/RDV/LPVr/IVM for clinical testing in the treatment of COVID-19. Other combinational therapy regimens need to be considered to optimize the desired combined in-vivo virocidal and virostatic

This especially in light of repeated reports of resurgence of viraemia among COVID patients who had successfully been treated on monotherapy. It remains too early to determine whether resurgence issues from re -infection with a different strain of virus (which would suggest that protective immunity is very short lived or not ever attained among infected and recovered persons) or reactivation of virus concealed within sites in-accessed by monotherapy [8]. Regardless, the concept of combination SARS-CoV2 Antiviral Therapy (SARS- CoV2-ART) is to attain complete viral replication cycle inhibition and elimination, early in course of the infection before a potential reservoir if present, is established.