WHO suggests Roche, Sanofi arthritis drugs to cut death risk in COVID patients
A WHO group evaluating therapies concluded treating severe and critical COVID patients with arthritis drugs Actemra from Roche and Kevzara from Sanofi "reduces the risk of death and the need for mechanical ventilation".;
New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday recommended using arthritis drugs Actemra from Roche and Kevzara from Sanofi with corticosteroids for Covid-19 patients after data from some 11,000 patients showed they cut the risk of death.
A WHO group evaluating therapies concluded treating severe and critical Covid-19 patients with these so-called interleukin-6 antagonists that block inflammation "reduces the risk of death and the need for mechanical ventilation".
According to the WHO analysis, the risk of dying within 28 days for patients getting one of the arthritis drugs with corticosteroids such as dexamethasone is 21 per cent, compared with an assumed 25 per cent risk among those who got standard care. For every 100 such patients, four more will survive, the WHO said.
Moreover, the risk of progressing to mechanical ventilation or death was 26 per cent for those getting the drugs and corticosteroids, compared with 33 per cent in those getting standard care. The WHO said that meant for every 100 such patients, seven more will survive without mechanical ventilation.
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