Swine flu, HIV drugs: Mumbai doctors mull corona cure

With no specific treatment for the new strain of coronavirus, Covid-19, doctors at the municipal Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, where four patients are admitted, are

With no specific treatment for the new strain of coronavirus, Covid-19, doctors at the municipal Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, where four patients are admitted, are using a combination of oseltamivir and symptomatic drugs.

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended the use of oseltamivir (Tamiflu or Fluvir), an antiviral used in treatment of swine flu, along with symptomatic drugs.

“We are giving oseltamivir to patients and the response is good. Along with that, if a patient has fever, we are giving Crocin, which also helps in headache and body pain,” said a doctor from the hospital.

ICMR has also got approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to allow antiretrovirals – HIV medicine lopinavir/ritonavir – for treatment of Covid-19. It was earlier used during the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002, a fatal respiratory illness caused by another coronavirus. But the doctors at Kasturba Hospital are yet to decide on using lopinavir/ritonavir.

“India has already used the HIV medicines for treatment of an Italian patient whose test reports came negative after 14 days,” said the doctor.

China is running a clinical trial using HIV medicines in the treatment of Covid-19, but the results are yet to be declared.

“There is no vaccination or medicines, so doctors across the country are using different a mix of medicines to treat patients. We need more research and time to confirm how these combinations work,” said Dr Om Shrivastav, city-based epidemiologist who is attached with Kasturba Hospital.

Meanwhile, the fourth patient, a 64-year-old who was earlier admitted to a private hospital, was shifted to Kasturba Hospital on Friday. The other three patients are spending days speaking to relatives on the phone.

“We aren’t allowed to go out as we might infect other people so we stay in our cells. Sometimes, I ask the staffers to get me newspapers to pass time,” said a 70-year-old patient who has been kept in an isolation ward with his 68-year-old wife.

Psychiatrists say isolation for long periods can lead to anxiety.

“Staying away from loved ones for weeks can take a toll on the mental health of people who are already sick. The relatives should keep them engaged through telephonic communication. The patients should be counselled by in-house psychiatrists to cope up with the stress. Patients should keep themselves busy reading or getting involved in other indoor activities,” said Dr Sagar Mundada, a psychiatrist.