Is it possible that a drug known to the general public is one of the solutions to fight against the most serious forms of the coronavirus? This Wednesday 16 June, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, tends to show that the use of a pill sold under the brand name Xeljanz would be effective.
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Half the number of deaths
289 patients hospitalised with severe forms of the virus in Brazil agreed to take part in a clinical trial. They were given a widely used drug, tofacitinib. This drug, known to treat arthritis, has shown positive effects in the fight against COVID-19. Of the 289 participants in the clinical trial, half received the drug, 2 x 10mg tablets per day, as well as standard care. The others were treated with standard care and just a placebo.
After 28 days of treatment, 18.1% of the people who received the arthritis drug developed respiratory failure with intubation or resuscitationleading to death, compared to 29% of the placebo group.
Promising results
According to Business Wire, 5.5% of trial participants on placebo died, compared to 2.8% of those treated with tofacitinib. Otavio Berwanger, one of the scientists who led the clinical project in partnership with the Pfizer laboratory, released a statement.
We are encouraged by the initial results of our randomised trial of tofacitinib in patients hospitalised with Covid-19 pneumonia
