Anti-HIV drugs have been used to treat the patients infected with the novel coronavirus in Beijing, the city's municipal health commission confirmed in a statement on its website on Sunday.

As of Saturday midnight (January 25), a total of 51 cases had been confirmed infected with the virus in the capital city, among whom one died and two were cured. The others remain hospitalized. Nationwide, at least 1,985 cases have been confirmed and the death toll has climbed to 56, according to data from the National Health Commission.

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"We have Lopinavir/Ritonavir in stock in Beijing. The three hospitals designated to treat confirmed coronavirus cases have been using the therapy to treat the coronavirus in accordance with the national treatment plan and the patients' condition," the statement said. 

The two drugs are antiretrovirals, which block the ability of HIV to bind with healthy cells and reproduce, and are often used in combination to treat the illness.

The statement didn't mention the effectiveness of the drugs.

On Saturday, Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert now leading the panel to control the contagion of the epidemic, told Guangzhou Daily that several drugs that have been confirmed safe would be used to treat the virus, but "their effectiveness still needs further observation."

He didn't specify what kind of drugs, and noted that early detection and quarantine are still the best preventive method.

"If affected patients are quarantined in time, patient numbers in the latter stage will decline greatly," he said.