Arthritis Drug Cuts Covid Deaths 13% Among Severe Cases, Study Finds

Topline

Baricitinib, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, cut hospitalized Covid-19 patients’ risk of death by 13%, regardless of what other Covid treatments were also being used, giving hospitals an affordable new way to reduce Covid mortality, according to a University of Oxford study published Thursday.

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Key Facts

Of the 4,148 patients who received baricitinib, 12% died within 28 days, compared to 14% who did not receive the medication, a reduction of 13%, according to the study, which was published on the University of Oxford’s website.

Patients taking baricitinib had an 80% chance of being discharged from hospital alive within 28 days, compared to 78% among patients not taking the medication, according to the study.

The beneficial effect of baricitinib was consistent even when used alongside other Covid treatments, including some antiviral medications, steroids and monoclonal antibody treatments, researchers found.

Now that baricitinib’s effectiveness has been proven, it should be made as accessible and affordable as possible for patients everywhere, said University of Oxford Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases Peter Hornby.

Baricitinib is not the only anti-inflammatory treatment shown to reduce Covid death risk—the medications dexamethasone and tocilizumab have previously shown similar benefits, researchers said.

The study monitored a total of 8,156 hospitalized patients with severe Covid from February to December 2021.

Key Background

The Oxford University study confirmed the findings of prior, less extensive trials by U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers. Like some other anti-inflammatory drugs, baricitinib has an immunosuppressant effect, weakening the overactive immune response that causes lung damage among patients with severe Covid, said Oxford Population Health Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology Martin Landray in a statement. The beneficial effect of baricitinib for Covid patients is additional to the effects of other immunosuppressant anti-inflammatories like dexamethasone and tocilizumab, meaning that the treatments can be given in combination for increased effect, Landray said. Additionally, generic forms of baricitinib are relatively affordable, according to the academic journal Science. Baricitinib is approved for use as an arthritis treatment in the U.K., the U.S. and the EU and is marketed under the brand name Olumiant by Eli Lilly and Incyte. In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for baricitinib as a Covid treatment for patients age 2 and older.

Crucial Quote

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

Tangent

The study on baricitinib was part of a broader series of trials led by the University of Oxford to identify medications effective against Covid. As well as proving the effectiveness of drugs like baricitinib, the trials have shown the ineffectiveness of some other reputed Covid cures, such as the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which was promoted by former President Donald Trump as potentially “one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine.”

What To Watch For

Oxford researchers are testing Merck’s anti-Covid pill molnupiravir, GlaxoSmithKline’s monoclonal antibody treatment sotrovimab and the anti-diabetic medication empagliflozin for their effects on Covid recovery, Science reported.