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What is the News?
The World Health Organisation(WH0) has recommended two drugs, baricitinib and sotrovimab, for treatment of Covid-19.
What is Baricitinib?
It is part of a class of drugs called Janus kinase(JAK) inhibitors that suppress the overstimulation of the immune system. It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
Now, it has been strongly recommended for patients with severe or critical Covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids.
What is Sotrovimab?
It has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline with US partner Vir Biotechnology Inc. It is a monoclonal antibody drug that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, thereby preventing the virus from attaching to and entering human cells.
It has been recommended for treating mild or moderate Covid-19 in patients who are at high risk of hospitalisation.
These include patients who are older, are immunocompromised, have underlying conditions like diabetes, hypertension and obesity and are unvaccinated.
Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: How two drugs newly recommended by WHO work against Covid” published in Indian Express on 15th January 2022
