{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T08:48:01Z","timestamp":1780476481122,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,30]],"date-time":"2020-06-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1593475200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>A life-threatening respiratory illness (COVID-19) due to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 coronavirus was first described in December 2019 in Wuhan (China), rapidly evolving into a pandemic. In the first phase, when the viral replication plays a pivotal pathogenetic role, antiviral drugs could be crucial in limiting viral-induced organ damage. Unfortunately, there are no specific antivirals of proven efficacy for COVID-19, and several drugs have been repurposed to face this dramatic pandemic. In this paper we review the studies evaluating lopinavir\/ritonavir association (LPV\/r) use in COVID-19, and previously in SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). We searched PubMed to identify all relevant clinical and laboratory studies published up to 15 May 2020; the guidelines on the use of LPV\/r in COVID-19 were further directly searched on the website of the main international scientific societies and agencies. Available evidence is currently scarce and of low quality. The recommendations issued for COVID-19 vary from positions clearly against the use of LPV\/r to other positions that are more favorable. In our opinion, despite the controversial results of an important randomized clinical trial, and some recommendations, clinicians should not abandon the use of LPV\/r for the treatment of COVID-19, possibly using this drug inside a prospective randomized trial, waiting for the results of the numerous ongoing trials evaluating its efficacy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm9072050","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,30]],"date-time":"2020-06-30T14:29:39Z","timestamp":1593527379000},"page":"2050","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":79,"title":["Role of Lopinavir\/Ritonavir in the Treatment of Covid-19: A Review of Current Evidence, Guideline Recommendations, and Perspectives"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8711-8305","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Simone","family":"Meini","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Struttura Operativa Complessa di Medicina Interna, Azienda Unit\u00e0 Sanitaria Locale Toscana Centro, Ospedale Santa Maria Annunziata, 50012 Firenze, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alberto","family":"Pagotto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinica di Malattie Infettive, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli centrale, 33100 Udine, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benedetta","family":"Longo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Struttura Operativa Complessa di Medicina Interna, Azienda Unit\u00e0 Sanitaria Locale Toscana Nord-Ovest, Ospedale Felice Lotti, 56025 Pontedera, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Igor","family":"Vendramin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento Cardiotoracico, Divisione di Cardiochirurgia, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli centrale, 33100 Udine, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Davide","family":"Pecori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinica di Malattie Infettive, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli centrale, 33100 Udine, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9625-6024","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlo","family":"Tascini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinica di Malattie Infettive, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli centrale, 33100 Udine, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"556","DOI":"10.1002\/jmv.25729","article-title":"A systematic review of lopinavir therapy for SARS coronavirus and MERS coronavirus-A possible reference for coronavirus disease-19 treatment option","volume":"92","author":"Yao","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. 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