Baricitinib plus remdesivir shows promise in hospitalized patients
Combining the anti-inflammatory drug baricitinib with the antiviral drug remdesivir reduced the median recovery time for hospitalized COVID-19 patients from eight to seven days, according to published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The therapy appeared to benefit patients requiring high-flow oxygen or non-invasive ventilation most, reducing their median time to recovery from 18 days to 10 days, researchers said.
The is the second in the National Institutes of Health Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial, a study to evaluate therapeutics for people hospitalized with COVID-19.
The Food and Drug Administration last month authorized the emergency use of baricitinib in combination with remdesivir to treat suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in certain hospitalized patients requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.