The question How is Lopinavir + Ritonavir expected to stop COVID-19? asked:
I can't find anything that would explain why the Lopinavir/Ritonavir combination is expected to do anything. Both drugs appear to be protease inhibitors that are fairly specific to HIV, while SARS-CoV-2 isn't even in the same general group of viruses as HIV.
The answer I had written (and later deleted by a mod) states that:
tests [of the Lopinavir/Ritonavir combination] involving the related SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV viruses show promise (but doesn't explain the mechanism posited)
followed by a quote from a scientific study supporting my statement.
I believe this answered the question from an empirical standpoint, with the limitation that it doesn't explain the mechanism posited, as stated in the answer.
So why was the answer deleted?
Note that this question is different from what's the max length for a quote?, as at that time the answer was link+quote only and the issue raised by the mod who had removed the question was the length of the quote.
