Thai doctors have confirmed that a mixture of drugs used for the treatment of flu and HIV is effective in treating patients who have been infected with the novel coronavirus, the Bangkok Post reported.

The announcement was made by two doctors from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, on Feb. 2., after a 70-year-old female Chinese patient tested negative for the virus, about 48 hours after receiving the drug mixture, Bloomberg reported.

She was reported to have initially showed severe symptoms of the infection after arriving in Thailand from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

Anti-HIV drugs added after finding out anti-flu drugs were effective for MERS

Reuters highlighted that the mixture included anti-HIV drugs, such as lopinavir and ritonavir, and anti-flu drugs, such as oseltamivir, which were administered in large doses.

The Bangkok Post further reported that oseltamvir is a drug that has been administered for the treatment of patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

Kriangska Atipornwanich, a lung specialist, stated that the anti-HIV drugs had been added after finding out that MERS patients had been effectively treated with anti-flu drugs.

Mixture is not the cure however

He further clarified, however, that while the drug mixture was not the cure, improvement in the patient was visible.

As per Kriangska, according to Reuters:

"This is not the cure, but the patient’s condition has vastly improved. From testing positive for 10 days under our care, after applying this combination of medicine the test result became negative within 48 hours."

He added that it was still necessary to conduct further study to determine if the mixture could be a treatment, and that the drugs would be administered to more patients.

China has also begun using the same combination of drugs

CNN reported that hospitals in Beijing, China, had also begun using the same combination of drugs for treatment of the virus, although it is unclear if the outcome there has been successful as well.

Thus far, Thailand has reported a total of 19 confirmed cases, including its first case of human-to-human transmission within the country.

Both Bangkok Post and Bloomberg reported that eight of the cases have since been treated and returned home, while the remaining 11 are still hospitalised.

Top photo from @MFAThai Twitter