The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced that the combination of its rheumatoid arthritis treatment baricitinib with remdesivir reduced the recovery time in hospitalized patients with covid-19.
Eli Lilly explained that during the Adaptive Covid-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-2), the researchers observed a reduction of approximately one day in the mean recovery time of patients treated with baricitinib combined with the substance remdesivir, compared to those who they were only treated with remdesivir, which is why they rated the finding as statistically significant.
The study, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institute of Health (NIH), included more than 1,000 patients and began on May 8 to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a dose. of 4 mg baricitinib plus remdesivir versus remdesivir in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
According to Eli Lilly, the combination met the primary endpoint of reduced recovery time, which was defined as that the participant was well enough for discharge from hospital, meaning that they no longer needed supplemental oxygen or care continued in the hospital, or was no longer hospitalized on the 29th.
Eli Lilly reported that additional analysis is underway to understand other clinical outcome data, including mortality and safety data, and that NIAID is expected to publish full details of the study in a peer-reviewed journal.
Eli Lilly said he plans to discuss the emergency use authorization of the combination with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and explore similar measures with other regulatory agencies for baricitinib as a treatment. of hospitalized patients with covid-19. If authorized, the company will propose that baricitinib be available through commercial channels and will work with hospitals and governments to ensure patient access.
