Baricitinib and remdesivir for patients with COVID-19

Adding the arthritis drug baricitinib to remdesivir may shorten recovery time in adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19, according to one study.

Scientists and health professionals are working hard to find the best treatment for patients who are hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2. In a previous study, researchers observed that the remdesivir, an antiviral drug, was effective in patients with COVID-19. A group of scientists now believe that treatment for inflammation might be helpful, since a poorly regulated inflammatory response causes many severe symptoms of COVID-19. This prompted researchers to investigate combination treatment with baricitinib and remdesivir in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

The results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study included 1,033 patients with COVID-19 and signs of pneumonia in eight countries. They all received remdesivir (≤ 10 days) and either baricitinib (≤ 14 days) or placebo. Baricitinib was given to 515 patients and 518 received placebo. Statistical analysis was then performed to compare the effects of these two treatments on time to recovery.

Patients receiving the combination treatment had a mean recovery of seven days compared to eight days with remdesivir alone.

Patients requiring high flow oxygen or non-invasive ventilation during hospitalization appeared to have benefited most. Due to the combination treatment, her recovery time was reduced from eighteen days to ten days. Participants' clinical conditions improved and there were fewer side effects.

More data is needed to clarify the role of baricitinib in the treatment of COVID-19, particularly data from studies comparing baricitinib use to current standard of care and assessing which subpopulations will benefit most from baricitinib.

Reference:

Kalil AC., Patterson TF., Mehta AK., Tomashek KM., Wolfe CR., Ghazaryan V., et al. Baricitinib plus remdesivir for adults in hospital with Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2020 December 11th doi: 10.1056 / NEJMoa2031994.

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