The World Health Organization said Friday it is recommending two new drugs as treatments for COVID-19 and said the extent to which they can save lives will depend on how widely available and affordable they will be. The agency said the first drug, baricitinib, a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, is recommended for patients with severe or critical disease. “It is part of a class of drugs called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors that suppress the overstimulation of the immune system,” WHO said in a statement. “WHO recommends that it is given with corticosteroids.” The second drug is monoclonal antibody sotrovimab, which the agency is recommending for patients will mild or moderate COVID. That drug is an alternative to casirivimab-imdevimab, a monoclonal antibody cocktail recommended by WHO in September 2021. “Studies are ongoing on the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies against omicron but early laboratory studies show that sotrovimab retains its activity,” said the statement. Sotrovimab is recommended for patients who are older, have weakened immune systems, or underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity as well as people who are unvaccinated.
Source: Marketwatch
