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An arthritis drug can reduce deaths in hospitalized COVID-19 patients by about two-thirds among those suffering from moderate or severe cases of the virus, according to a new study.
Called baricitinib and marketed under the brand name Olumiant, the drug was advertised by his British company as a possible game changer in the fight against COVID-19, the Daily Mail reported.
The rheumatoid arthritis drug, available for only three years, was identified in February as a strong candidate to help treat what was then the emerging threat of the novel coronavirus, according to the outlet.
BenevolentAI, based in London, examined thousands of existing drugs for signs that they might be effective against the deadly insect. The company’s artificial intelligence program predicted that the arthritis drug would “reduce the ability of the virus to infect lung cells,” the Daily Mail reported.
And now, a study by European researchers and led by the Swedish Karolinska Institute found that baricitinib dramatically reduced death rates in hospitalized COVID-19 patients by around 70%.
The results, published in the journal Science Advances, came from 83 patients who had been treated with the drug while hospitalized for coronavirus pneumonia in two hospitals in Italy and Spain.
“We are pleased to report a 71% reduction in mortality for the group receiving baricitinib in addition to standard care,” said Professor Volker Lauschke of the Karolinska Institute, who led the study.
“These results are particularly encouraging as the study included a large cohort of elderly patients, an often excluded group.”
Professor Justin Stebbing, a cancer specialist at Imperial College London, predicted the drug could help save thousands of lives.
“The history of COVID treatments hasn’t left many drugs standing. What is left standing are two drugs discovered in Britain, “he said, the Daily Mail reported.
The other is the steroid dexamethasone, which has reduced the risk of death among seriously ill coronavirus patients by 33%.
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