A multicenter case-control study published in Scientific Reports depicted that in people with early mild or moderate COVID-19 coinfected or not with hepatitis C virus, early sofosbuvir/velpatasvir therapy appears to be effective and safe for prompt elimination of coronavirus and for prevention of disease advancement. Researchers assessed safety and impact of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir combination on coronavirus clearance times and clinical outcomes.

This study recruited 120 people infected with coronavirus disease, of whom 30, hepatitis C virus  coinfected or not, were administered sofosbuvir/velpatasvir tablets (400/100 mg) once daily for nine days within a median of six days from the commencement of infection and 90 controls were managed with standard care. The major outcome was the impact on viral clearance, and the secondary outcome was an improvement in clinical outcomes. The nasal swabs for coronavirus by polymerase chain reaction were carried out every five-seven days.

Between 5-14 days after initiating sofosbuvir/velpatasvir therapy, viral clearance was noted in 83% of people. The spontaneous clearance in the control group was 13%. None of the participants in the sofosbuvir/velpatasvir group demonstrated disease progression. In control group, 24% of the people needed more intensive therapy ( noninvasive/invasive ventilation or high flow oxygen), and one participant died. No profound adverse effects were noted in the sofosbuvir/velpatasvir group.

Thus, the combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir is beneficial for the management of mild to moderate COVID-19.