WHO recommends 2 new COVID treatments

Details: WHO strongly recommends baricitinib, an oral drug typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, for patients with severe or critical symptoms. Administering it with corticosteroids is recommended.

• WHO is also conditionally recommending use of the monoclonal antibody drug sotrovimab for treating mild or moderate symptoms in patients at high risk of hospitalization, including patients who are older, immunocompromised and unvaccinated.
• "The extent to which these medicines will save lives depends on how widely available and affordable they will be," the organization said in a release.
• The recommendations are based on evidence from seven trials involving over 4,000 patients who exhibited a wide range of COVID symptoms.

Worth noting: WHO said it is working to "secure global supply capacity and equitable and sustainable access to the newly recommended therapeutics."