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.
