WHO says two drugs can help fight COVID-19

Baricitinib granted Emergency use authorization To treat inpatient COVID-19 patients over 2 years of age requiring treatment including oxygenation or mechanical ventilation by the Food and Drug Administration last July.

WHO experts stated that baricitinib has similar effects to IL-6 blockers, and if both are available, healthcare professionals should make a choice based on cost, availability, and clinician experience. rice field.

Joan Kapusnik-Uner, PharmD, and First Databank (FDB), Vice President of Clinical Content, explained that IL-6 receptor blockers are drugs that block proteins called cytokines that are produced as part of the immune response.

In some people with COVID-19, the immune system is “Cytokine stormIt can be dangerous to the patient.

She also added that it can also activate “significant B cells that lead to increased antibody production.”

According to WHO, these recommendations are based on evidence from seven trials in more than 4,000 patients experiencing non-severe, severe, and severe COVID-19.

“WHO is in talks with manufacturers to ensure global supply capacity and equitable and sustainable access to newly recommended therapies,” WHO wrote. statement..

Kapusnik-Uner told Healthline that sotrovimab is “a recombinant human monoclonal antibody (mAbs) given by itself as a single IV infusion and was first identified in 2003 by SARS-CoV survivors.” ..

WHO also conditionally recommended a combination of another monoclonal antibody combination drug called sotrovimab. Regeneron For non-severe COVID-19 with the highest risk of hospitalization.

by Pharmaceutical company Regeneron, this antibody cocktail is designed to mimic the effects of a well-functioning immune system by using “a very powerful antibody to neutralize the virus.”

Kapusnik-Uner confirmed that sotrovimab is effective against the currently variant of concern COVID-19 mutants.

“It doesn’t appear to be less effective against variants, including the current Delta or Omicron variants,” says Kapusnik-Uner. “Conditional recommendations for sotrovimab in non-severe patients reflect a significant reduction in the risk of hospitalization for high-risk patients.”

Experts developing revised WHO guidelines considered two other drugs used for severe and critical COVID-19, ruxolitinib and arthritis treatment, which target inflammation. Tofacitinib..

“Given those uncertainties, WHO has made conditional recommendations for their use,” the organization said. I have written..

According to Kapusnik-Uner, new information is continually being collected, including evolving evidence and patient results.

“The’certainty of evidence’was recently re-evaluated as very low for these two drugs, primarily due to serious concerns about the quality or inaccuracies of the data,” she said.

Kapusnik-Uner explained that small trials failed to demonstrate differences in “results of interest” such as mortality, mechanical ventilation, and length of stay.

The new recommendations are part of the 8th version of WHO. Life guidelines It was developed to provide guidance on the management of COVID-19 and help healthcare professionals make better decisions for their patients.

according to WHO expertLiving guidelines allow researchers to update summaries of “previously scrutinized and peer-reviewed” evidence as new data become available, so in fast-moving research areas such as COVID-19. It will help.

They expect these treatment guidelines to be updated when the data becomes available.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has revised its guidelines to strongly recommend the use of two drugs for COVID-19.

They recommend an enzyme blocker called Baricitinib Monoclonal antibody therapy called Sotrovimab..

The organization also recommended not to use Ruxolitinib When Tofacitinib Further investigation has shown that the evidence for these drugs is less certain.

According to experts, sotrovimab shows “complete activity” against the currently concerned COVID-19 mutant. WHO’s recommendations for use in patients at high risk of non-serious illness reflect the efficacy of the drug in reducing hospitalization in this group.