‘Baricitinib’ has been approved by WHO to be used with corticosteroids; synthetic antibody treatment ‘sotrovimab’ has been recommended for people with mild COVID-19 and with the highest risk of hospitalisation
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved two new novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatments amid rising omicron cases across the world.
The WHO wrote about these suggestions in a peer-reviewed journal called the British Journal of Medicine. The news comes after the WHO predicted that half of Europe will be infected with the virus by March.
The drug ‘baricitinib’ was approved by WHO to be used with corticosteroids. The combination of these drugs was recommended to treat critical COVID-19 patients for better results.
Baricitinib is a drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The WHO guidelines documented that ‘baricitinib’ improves survival rates and reduces the need for critical care.
The WHO experts also recommended synthetic antibody treatment ‘sotrovimab’ for people with mild COVID-19 and people with the highest risk of hospitalisation such as the elderly, and people with chronic diseases like diabetes.
Health Canada had already started using ‘sotrovimab’ back in July 2021 and has been also used effectively against the omicron COVID-19 variant. Till now, only three other treatments for COVID-19 have received WHO approval, starting with corticosteroids for severely ill patients.
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