The New York Times :
Adding an arthritis drug called baricitinib to COVID treatment regimens that include antiviral drug remdesivir might shave a day or more off recovery times, especially for those who are seriously sick, according to a study published Friday.
The findings of a government-sponsored clinical trial were made public more than three weeks after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorisation for the dual treatment. Earlier this month, some experts said they were uncomfortable deploying drugs without the opportunity to vet the underlying data supporting their performance. Last month, the World Health Organisation also recommended against remdesivir as a treatment for COVID patients because evidence supporting its use was lacking.
Limited results earlier were announced via news releases, showing that hospitalised COVID patients treated with baricitinib and remdesivir recovered one day faster than those who had received remdesivir alone.
Some questioned adopting the combination treatment given baricitinib’s hefty price tag – which might be about $1,500 per patient – and also cited side effects like blood clots. Several doctors also wondered whether adding baricitinib would be worthwhile because steroids like dexamethasone were cheap and widely available.
Adding an arthritis drug called baricitinib to COVID treatment regimens that include antiviral drug remdesivir might shave a day or more off recovery times, especially for those who are seriously sick, according to a study published Friday.
The findings of a government-sponsored clinical trial were made public more than three weeks after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorisation for the dual treatment. Earlier this month, some experts said they were uncomfortable deploying drugs without the opportunity to vet the underlying data supporting their performance. Last month, the World Health Organisation also recommended against remdesivir as a treatment for COVID patients because evidence supporting its use was lacking.
Limited results earlier were announced via news releases, showing that hospitalised COVID patients treated with baricitinib and remdesivir recovered one day faster than those who had received remdesivir alone.
Some questioned adopting the combination treatment given baricitinib’s hefty price tag – which might be about $1,500 per patient – and also cited side effects like blood clots. Several doctors also wondered whether adding baricitinib would be worthwhile because steroids like dexamethasone were cheap and widely available.
