BackCovid-19 treatment: Which drugs to use, what to reject? WHO guidelines here
Baricitinib, Ruxolitinib, tofacitinib, Sotrovimab, Casirivimab-imdevimab, Tocilizumab or sarilumab can be used for COVID treatment, WHO said
PremiumAs we step into the third year of the pandemic, we learn from experience that the best way to stay protected is to adhere to COVID-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated against the virus. But if you are already infected, it is equally important to use the right kinds of drugs and medicines to recover fully. With the World Health Organisation (WHO) approving two more drugs last week, we now have a host of treatments against coronavirus.
What drugs should be used for COVID treatment?
As per the WHO, Baricitinib, Ruxolitinib, tofacitinib, Sotrovimab, Casirivimab-imdevimab, Tocilizumab or sarilumab can be used for COVID treatment.
Baricitinib, Tocilizumab or sarilumab and Systemic corticosteroids are highly recommended for their treatment, but Ruxolitinib and tofacitinib, Sotrovimab, Casirivimab-imdevimab can be recommended either as a substitute or only under certain circumstances. These medicines have been effective in reducing mortality, hospitalisation and ventilation.
What not to use?
Meanwhile, the use of Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir/ritonavir and Remdesivir is not recommended against COVID due to the lack of proof that they aid in cutting down mortality or hospitalisation rate. Some of them, however, have been recommended for clinical trial.
What drug can be given to children?
The use of casirivimab and imdevimab have been recommended for treatment of COVID in children. "Fortunately, very few children become critically ill with COVID-19. For those who do and are seronegative, it is possible they may benefit from casirivimab and imdevimab," WHO says. Signs like very severe chest wall in-drawing, grunting, central cyanosis have been recognised as severe symptoms among children.
The UN health agency also recommends giving tocilizumab to kids. "This is especially true given tocilizumab is used in children safely for other indications including polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, systemic onset of juvenile chronic arthritis, and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell induced cytokine release syndrome. Sarilumab is not approved in children, so if an IL-6 receptor blocker is used in this population, tocilizumab is preferred."
Vaccination still remains the best weapon against COVID!
Vaccination still remains the best weapon to fight against the virus. "Vaccination is having a substantial impact on case numbers and hospitalizations in a number of high-income countries, but limitations in global access to vaccines mean that many populations remain vulnerable," the WHO says. " Even in vaccinated individuals, uncertainties remain about the duration of protection and efficacy of current vaccines – and the efficacy of existing treatments for COVID-19 – against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants," it adds.
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