Protease inhibitors are antiviral drugs that bind to certain enzymes necessary to produce parts of the virus, inhibiting production of the virus in cells.

“It’s an experimental usage of the drug that has given good results with other viruses,” said Albert Bosch. ‘’One of the biggest advantages is that they are already approved for use, so there is little doubt about their safety.”

Santiago Moreno, head of infectious diseases at The Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, said: “The results we have so far for the use of these drugs to treat coronavirus give us hope.” 

However, it should be stated that the result will not be the same for all patients. Therefore, the use of protease inhibitors as treatment for COVID-19 will be further researched and tested.