WHO Makes New Recommendations for Two Drugs (Baricitinib & IL-6 Inhibitors) to Treat Patients with Severe COVID-19; Conditional Recommendations Made for Two Monoclonal Antibodies

The drug baricitinib (a type of drug known as a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis) is strongly recommended for patients with severe or critical covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids, said a WHO Guideline Development Group of international experts publishing in the British Medical Journal on Janauary 13, 2022. Their strong recommendation is based on moderate certainty evidence that the drug improves survival and reduces the need for ventilation, with no observed increase in adverse effects. The title of the recommendations is “Rapid Recommendations: A Living WHO Guideline on Drugs for COVID-19.”