Two existing and widely available drugs may prove to be effective treatments for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), new research published by the University of Hong Kong suggests.
According to the South China Morning Post, the medicines—lopinavir with ritonavir and a type of interferon— currently used to treat HIV and sclerosis, were found to be effective in curing MERS-infected marmosets, small monkeys whose reactions to the virus mimics human illness. The research is the first of its kind in the world. “We would recommend doctors to start using both drugs immediately to treat MERS patients if they are critical,” said Jasper Chan Fuk-woo, one of the researchers. “The evidence in this study is quite strong in proving the effectiveness of the two drugs.”
Currently, there is no known cure for MERS.
