Baricitinib plus remdesivir shows promise in hospitalized patients

Dec 14, 2020 - 03:18 PM
FDA product update

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 clinical trial results 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 clinical trial 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.

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