The Hospital Authority will carry out a drug trial on future Sars patients in an effort to identify the best treatments for the killer disease.
Under a plan to be activated if Sars returns to Hong Kong, one group of patients would be prescribed the anti-viral drugs Kaletra and Ribavirin.
The second group would be given placebos.
The patients would not know which group they belonged to.
Patients would have to give their consent before being included in the scheme.
The Hospital Authority said the health of patients would be closely monitored to avoid their health being jeopardised.
Speaking outside the Hong Kong Sars Forum organised by the Hospital Authority yesterday, Kenneth Tsang Wah-tak, associate professor in respiratory and critical care medicine at the University of Hong Kong, said the trial was necessary to provide a more scientific study of the virus.
