The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended two new drugs to treat COVID-19—baricitinib and sotrovimab.
Baricitinib, an oral drug, is “strongly recommended” for people with severe or critical COVID-19, to be given with cortico steroids, the WHO announced.
Baricitinib is part of a class of drugs called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, which suppress the overstimulation of the immune system. The drug is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
The WHO’s Guideline Development Group found “moderate certainty evidence that baricitinib improved survival and reduced the need for ventilation, with no observed increase in adverse effects.”
Sotrovimab is “conditionally recommended” for people with mild or moderate COVID-19 but at “high risk” of hospitalization. This includes people who are “older, immunocompromised, having underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and those unvaccinated,” stated the United Nations agency.
“Studies are ongoing on the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies against Omicron but early laboratory studies show that sotrovimab retains its activity,” the agency stated.
The panel of experts behind the guidelines also reviewed information regarding two other drugs for severe and critical COVID-19—JAK inhibitors ruxolitinib and tofacitinib.
MSF noted that U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly filed and obtained patents widely, including in Brazil, Russia, South Africa, and Indonesia, therefore blocking the production of affordable versions of baricitinib.
“Despite the fact that baricitinib is already approved for other conditions like rheumatoid arthritis—and generic versions are already available in India and Bangladesh at much lower prices than those being charged by Eli Lilly—baricitinib will not be widely available to treat COVID-19 as long as the company continues to block the generic production in most places,” MSF stated.