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In the early-stage study, 83 patients, with a median age of 81 and all suffering from moderate to severe Covid-19 infection, received a drug called baricitinib.
A type of arthritis drug can reduce the risk of death in elderly Covid-19 patients, according to a new international study led by scientists at Imperial College London (United Kingdom) and Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), published in the journal 'Science Advances'.
In the early-stage study, 83 patients, with a median age of 81 and all suffering from moderate to severe Covid-19 infection, received a drug called baricitinib. This drug is generally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and was initially identified by the team using artificial intelligence as a drug that could have antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects.
In the study, patients, who were in multiple hospitals in Italy and Spain, had a 71 percent lower risk of death compared to patients who had not taken the drug. The study also found that 17 percent of patients who had been given the drug had died or needed a ventilator, compared to 35 percent of the control group who had not been given the medication. .
"The study suggests that this drug may aid the recovery of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, and may provide a new weapon in our arsenal against the virus. Large-scale clinical trials of this drug are underway , to further investigate its potential," explains one of the study leaders, Justin Stebbing.
In the research, scientists grew miniature human organs in the laboratory, called organoids, to investigate how exactly the drug can combat Covid-19. The findings revealed that the drug can help work in two ways: by reducing organ damage caused by inflammation, and by blocking the virus from entering human cells.
When infected with the COVID-19 virus, called SARS-CoV-2, the body releases different types of inflammatory molecules, called chemokines and cytokines. These molecules act as the early warning system for the body, telling the immune system that the body is under attack.
However, in the case of COVID-19, certain cytokines and chemokines, including so-called interleukins and interferons, cause this warning system to go out of control and trigger a so-called cytokine storm. This cytokine storm not only causes significant damage to the body's organs, but the study revealed that it also helps the virus gain access to the inside of human cells.
The study showed that a particular cytokine, called interferon, increases the number of receptors, or docking sites, for the virus. Doing this, in effect, lowers the drawbridge and allows the virus to enter the body's cells.
