Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Could Be Repurposed To Treat COVID-19 Patients – Technology Networks

Lab tests and clinical pilot study

In test tubes and 3D-human miniature livers, the researchers showed that the drug inhibited signaling of cytokines, immune system-proteins known to overreact and drive inflammation in severe cases of COVID-19 infection. It also helped reduce the viral load of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and the level of the signal molecule interleukin-6 (IL-6), a predictor of mortality from acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with COVID-19.

In addition to the lab tests, a small pilot study of three men and one woman with bilateral COVID-19 pneumonia was conducted in Milan, Italy. After 10-12 days of treatment with baricitinib, all four patients showed improvements in signs and symptoms such as cough, fever and reductions in viral load and plasma IL-6 levels.

Collectively, these data suggest that baricitinib may lower inflammation and viral load in COVID-19, says Ali Mirazimi, adjunct professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, who led the functional virus studies.

Additional trials of baricitinib are currently underway in 85 hospitalized COVID-19 patients across three hospitals in Northern and Central Italy, with encouraging initial results in patient outcomes, according to the researchers.

We are integrating and carefully analyzing these trial data and providing functional and mechanistic follow-up studies to scrutinize baricitinibs mode of action, says Volker Lauschke, associate professor of personalized medicine and drug development at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, who led the functional testing of baricitinib.

The study was funded by Eli Lilly and Company and the Sacco Baricitinib Study Group. Several of the authors reported potential conflicts of interests, including employment and shareholdings in Eli Lilly and Company, which owns the trademark for the baricitinib drug Olumiant. For a full list of disclosures, please see the full article.

Reference:Stebbing, et al. (2020) Mechanism of Baricitinib Supports Artificial Intelligence-Predicted Testing in COVID-19 Patients. EMBO Molecular MedicineDOI:10.15252/emmm.202012697

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Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Could Be Repurposed To Treat COVID-19 Patients - Technology Networks