The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the emergency use of Eli Lilly and Co's arthritis drug, baricitinib, in combination with Gilead Sciences Inc's remdesivir, to treat COVID-19 patients.
Baricitinib, sold under the brand name of Olumiant, is an FDA-approved oral medication to treat moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis.
The approval was based on a review of the data from a clinical trial of hospitalized COVID-19 patients sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The trial showed an approximately one-day reduction in median recovery time for patients treated with the combination versus those treated with remdesivir.
The health regulator approved the drug in combination with remdesivir for treating suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalized adults and children two years of age or older requiring oxygen support.
(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
