Studies say arthritis drugs may improve Covid-19 survival in older patients

According to one study, drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may reduce the risk of death in older patients with Covid-19 and provide new weapons against the new coronavirus.

In a study published in the journal Science Advances, 83 patients with a median age of 81 and suffering from moderate to severe Covid-19 infections received a drug called baricitinib.

The drug was initially identified by scientists at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom using artificial intelligence (AI) as a drug that may have antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects.

In this study, patients admitted to multiple hospitals in Italy and Spain had a 71% reduced risk of death compared to those who did not take the drug.

The study found that 17% of patients who received the drug died or needed to be ventilated. In contrast, 35% of the control group did not receive the drug.

The research team says the findings are being followed up in a large clinical trial.

“While we wait for the vaccine to become widely available, we need to urgently find a more effective treatment for Covid-19,” said Professor Justin Stepving, co-author of Imperial College London. I am.

“This is one of the first Covid-19 treatments to move from computers to clinics and laboratories. It was first identified by an AI algorithm in February and has thousands of potential actions against the virus. We have scanned for potential drugs, “says Stebbing.

The study suggests that the drug may help recovery in moderate to severe Covid-19 patients and provide a new weapon against the virus, the researchers said.

The team raised a miniature human organ called an organoid in the lab to investigate how accurately the drug would fight Covid-19.

Research has revealed that the drug may help work in two ways: reducing the damage to organs caused by inflammation, and blocking the virus from entering human cells.

When infected with the Covid-19 virus called SARS-CoV-2, the body releases various types of inflammatory molecules called chemokines and cytokines.

These molecules act as the body’s early warning system, telling the immune system that the body is under attack.

However, in the case of Covid-19, certain cytokines and chemokines, including what are called interleukins and interferons, make this warning system out of control and cause so-called cytokine storms.

Studies have shown that this cytokine storm not only causes serious damage to body organs, but also helps the virus access into human cells.

This study showed that certain cytokines, called interferons, increase the number of viral receptors or docking points.

Doing this effectively lowers the drawbridge and allows the virus to invade cells in the body, the researchers said.

They found that the drug prevented the development of this process and increased survival from Covid-19.

The study also suggested that Covid–19 increased the activity of genes associated with platelets, which could make blood sticky and facilitate the formation of blood clots. The drug baricitinib has been shown to reduce gene activity.

“This study confirms what AI predicted and what we heard from patient case reports. For example, one case involved an 87-year-old severely ill patient living in Foggia, Italy. The patient showed rapid improvement after being given the drug. His son, who was not given varicitinib, died, “said Professor Foggia Rauske, co-lead author of the Carolinska Institute in Italy. Stated.

“This study also revealed exactly how this drug protects us at the cellular level, as it helps identify other treatments that may address Covid. , Helps understand why other types of drugs are or aren’t beneficial. 19 “Raushke said.