Here in the US, Kaletra is not the preferred protease inhibitor drug for treating HIV. Patients are more likely to be on Atazanavir (Reyataz) or Darunavir (Prezista) which, unlike Kaletra, are dosed once a day and have few side-effects. The good news is Kaletra is widely available in developing countries so if it does have any value in treating COVID-19, anyone can get it.
Alpha-interferon 2b for treating COVID-19?
Interferons are natural proteins that our bodies produce to protect us from viral infections. There is a family of interferons and they have protective actions against most types of viruses. When a virus infects a cell, signals in the cell trigger the production of interferon. Interferon can destroy the viral genetic material so that it cannot reproduce.
Interferons are then released from infected cells and entered uninfected cells and work to protect them from getting infected. While the interferon system is a great mechanism for fighting viruses, some viruses have developed ways to block interferon’s protection and get around its effects.
Alpha-interferon was once used to treat Hepatitis C infection in combination with a drug called ribavirin. Since it is a protein, it cannot be given orally and must be injected intravenously or under the skin like insulin. The doses of interferon used were high and produced many side-effects which are also the case for ribavirin. Also, this combination often failed in curing African-Americans of the disease.
Now, we have combination drugs in a single pill that can cure Hepatitis C in just a couple of months.