Final answer:
The drugs Lopinavir and Ritonavir, which are protease inhibitors used to treat HIV, are being repurposed for COVID-19 treatment because they interfere with viral replication, a process that is similar for both HIV and SARS-CoV-2. The combination is considered based on the principle of HAART to reduce resistance development. However, challenges such as efficacy, side effects, and resistance need to be meticulously studied in the context of COVID-19.
Step-by-step explanation:
Repurposing Lopinavir-Ritonavir for COVID-19
In the context of repurposing drugs for COVID-19, the specific drugs being considered are Lopinavir and Ritonavir, which are originally used in the treatment of HIV. These drugs fall under the category of protease inhibitors, which work by blocking the processing of viral proteins and preventing viral maturation. This, in turn, impedes the replication of the virus within the host. The combination of Lopinavir-Ritonavir is considered for COVID-19 treatment because, similarly to HIV, SARS-CoV-2 requires proteolytic processing for replication. This strategy draws upon the principle of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which uses a "cocktail" of drugs to reduce the risk of resistance development in viruses like HIV that have high mutation rates.
There are challenges in repurposing drugs for a new disease, such as assessing their efficacy against a different virus, understanding new side effect profiles, and the potential for the virus to develop drug resistance. These challenges necessitate rigorous clinical trials and ongoing research to validate the repurposed drugs against COVID-19.