WHO recommended two new drugs for treatment of COVID-19. UN News reports.
The first drug, Baricitinib, is recommended for patients with severe COVID-19. It is part of a class of drugs called janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors that reduce the immune response. WHO recommends prescribing it with corticosteroids and also using the monoclonal antibody drug Sotrovimab, but under certain conditions and to treat mild and moderate COVID-19 forms in patients with high risk of hospitalization. It has been recommended for prescription to unvaccinated patients, the elderly, immunocompromised patients, and those with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
Additional studies on the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies against Omicron are currently underway. Initial laboratory studies show that Sotrovimab is effective against this new strain.
The WHO expert panel also considered two other drugs to treat severe COVID-19: Ruxolitinib and Tofacitinib, and has not yet recommended their use, citing a lack of clear evidence of their efficacy.
«WHO bases its treatment decisions for COVID-19 on data from seven studies involving more than 4,000 patients with non-serious, severe and critical forms of the coronavirus,» the agency notes.
WHO is negotiating with the manufacturers of the new recommended drugs to make them available globally and to ensure equitable access to them, including in low- and middle-income countries.
