• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies
  • Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital
  • Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

Arthritis drug could be a lifesaver in severe Covid cases, study says

Towleroad March 7, 2022 Leave a Comment

Published by
DPA
498854 origin 1
The arsenal of drugs doctors can use to save the lives of people critically ill with Covid-19 is growing, and experts are hopeful that one rheumatoid arthritis drug could be a major addition. Boris Roessler/dpa

An anti-inflammatory drug normally used for rheumatoid arthritis could turn out to be a lifesaver for people hospitalized with Covid-19, a large clinical trial indicates.

UK researchers announced in March that the immune suppressant baricitinib reduced the risk of dying among hospitalized Covid-19 patients by 13%.

The remedy seemed especially effective when combined with other drugs, such as the readily available steroid dexamethasone, that also act on the immune system and have proven helpful in the fight against the novel coronavirus, researchers said.

“Adding baricitinib on top of whatever else the doctors are currently prescribing … is beneficial,” University of Oxford clinical scientist Martin Landray, one of the lead researchers, told Science.

If the results are borne out, baricitinib could be added to an arsenal of treatments that already include immune-tamping anti-inflammatory drugs, antivirals that inhibit coronavirus's replication in the body, and antibody therapies, as BBC News noted.

The study was published in a pre-print at the University of Oxford's website and is not yet peer-reviewed. It is part of an ongoing initiative led by the university called the Recovery Trial, which has been testing treatments since March 2020.

The research team studied outcomes for 4,008 patients who had been hospitalized with Covid-19 between February and December 2021 and treated with the best remedies at the time.

Researchers compared those results to 4,148 patients who received baricitinib on top of the usual care for up to 10 days. Of the first group, 546 patients, or 14%, died within 28 days, compared to 513, or 12%, of the group being treated with baricitinib. Given before intubation, baricitinib seemed to reduce the chance of needing a ventilator at all, the researchers said.

The anti-inflammatory appears to reduce the overactive immune response that helps Covid-19 destroy the lungs, researchers said.

“Today's results not only show that treatment with baricitinib improves the chances of survival for patients with severe Covid-19 but that this benefit is additional to that from other treatments that dampen down the overactive immune response, such as dexamethasone and tocilizumab,” Landray said in a statement. “This opens up the possibility of using combinations of anti-inflammatory drugs to further drive down the risk of death for some of the sickest patients.”

As Covid-19 continues its rampage, health care providers welcomed the new possibilities.

“The pandemic is far from over, and we will likely have to contend with additional case surges in the future,” Emory University virologist Boghuma Titanji told Science. “It is heartening to have more mortality-reducing therapeutic options.”

Topics: Aaon, towleroad More Posts About: Baricitinib, Dexamethasone, Tocilizumab

Related Posts
  • US approves first pill for treatment of alopecia
  • Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John is “back home and in good health” after being rushed to hospital. The 76-year-old pop icon suffered a fall at his French villa on Sunday (27.08.23) evening and …Read More »
  • Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Published by OK Magazine Here's to the newlyweds! On Friday, September 8, Good Morning America star Robin Roberts tied the knot with her girlfriend of 18 years, Amber Laign. The reporter broke the news on her …Read More »
  • Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

    Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Ellen DeGeneres has announced her return to TV. The 65-year-old star's eponymous ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show' came to an end in May 2022 after 19 seasons and she's now revealed her …Read More »
  • Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

    Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

    Published by OK Magazine After Sam Asghari filed for divorce from Britney Spears, it seems like her good pal Madonna is hoping to help her out by bringing her on her Celebrations Tour once it resumes …Read More »
Previous Post: « Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter wins big at Independent Spirit Awards 2022
Next Post: TikTok war: How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine played to social media’s youngest audience »

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent

  • John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

    John Waters believes mainstream Hollywood films are finally as shocking as his cult movies

  • Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

    Sir Elton John is ‘back home and in good health’ after being rushed to hospital

  • Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

    Robin Roberts Wedding—All the ‘I Do’ Details: The Dress, the Guest List, the Snubs and More Revealed

  • Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

    Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence

  • Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

    Madonna ‘Would Love’ for Britney Spears to Come on Tour With Her After Recent Split From Sam Asghari

  • Lourdes Leon, Daughter Of Madonna, Shocks With See-Through String Dress At Victoria’s Secret Show

    Lourdes Leon, Daughter Of Madonna, Shocks With See-Through String Dress At Victoria’s Secret Show

  • Mike Pence Confronted by Emotional Mom of Trans Child About Laws to Protect Lgbtq Kids From Violence

    Mike Pence Confronted by Emotional Mom of Trans Child About Laws to Protect Lgbtq Kids From Violence

  • ‘This Was a Brand New Subject’: Donald Trump Grilled by Megyn Kelly About Supporting Trans Caitlyn Jenner in 2016

    ‘This Was a Brand New Subject’: Donald Trump Grilled by Megyn Kelly About Supporting Trans Caitlyn Jenner in 2016

Adjacent News

  • Did the UAE ban the Barbie movie? What about Saudi Arabia?

    Did the UAE ban the Barbie movie? What about Saudi Arabia?

  • From penal camp, dissident Navalny calls on Russians to resist Putin

    From penal camp, dissident Navalny calls on Russians to resist Putin

  • As contentious judicial ‘reform’ becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy

    As contentious judicial ‘reform’ becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Beyonce pays tribute to stabbed fan

    Beyonce pays tribute to stabbed fan

  • Dwight Howard’s Assault Accuser Submits Uber Receipt as Evidence in Court Battle With Ex-Lakers Star

    Dwight Howard’s Assault Accuser Submits Uber Receipt as Evidence in Court Battle With Ex-Lakers Star

  • After Bud Light, Ukraine ‘Scandals,’ Garth Brooks Surprises Again

    After Bud Light, Ukraine ‘Scandals,’ Garth Brooks Surprises Again

Partner Links

  • Robbie Rogers looks back on a sweet summer with husband Greg Berlanti and their kids
    View this post on Instagram A post shared by Robbie Rogers […]
  • OMG, have you heard? Madonna ‘would love’ for Britney Spears to come on tour with her after recent split from Sam Asghari
    Now that would really be …something! [Towleroad] Half the strike is […]
  • Emma Heming Willis Addresses If Husband Bruce Willis Knows About His FTD Dementia Diagnosis: 'It's Hard To Know'
    Emma Heming Willis is opening up about Bruce Willis in a […]
  • Morning Man Classic: Michael Douglas!
    Michael Douglas, who turns 79 today, first landed on my radar […]
  • OMG, new music: Doja Cat brings total destruction (and bubblegum) to Earth with ‘Agora Hills’ video
    If you have yet to give Doja‘s new album Scarlet a […]

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy
[towleroadmr] [towleroadtn]

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×
×