SNUH started a clinical trial of Remdesivir+Baricitinib

Seoul National University Hospital announced on the 25th that it will be conducting a follow-up clinical trial of Remdesivir, which has proven effective as a treatment for COVID-19.

 

This is a clinical trial that seeks drug efficacy and safety when Remdesivir is administered alone or when Baricitinib & Remdesivir are administered.

 

Seoul National University Hospital has participated in a global clinical trial hosted by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the United States and confirmed the therapeutic effect of Remdesivir on COVID-19.

 

This study (ACTT-1) was conducted from February to April, and 73 hospitals from 10 countries participated in a total of 1063 people.

 

As a result, it was confirmed that patients using Remdesivir recovered 30% faster than patients receiving placebo.

 

Remdesivir was recognized as the only antiviral drug that was confirmed to be effective as a COVID-19 treatment, but further investigation of drugs to control active inflammation after viral infection was needed.

 

Accordingly, the international research team is conducting a follow-up study (ACTT-2), and in Korea, Seoul National University Hospital and Bundang Seoul National University Hospital are participating in this study.

 

This study evaluates stability and efficacy by administering a combination of Remdesivir and anti-inflammatory Baricitinib, which have been previously proven effective.

 

Patients are divided into 'Remdesivir + placebo' group and 'Remdesivir + Baricitinib' combination group.

 

The research team is targeting a total of 1032 patients and enrolling patients worldwide.

 

To date, 17 people have registered in Korea.

 

It will be possible to confirm whether recovery time can be further shortened when a combination of Remdesivir and Baricitinib is administered to COVID-19 severe patients with this study.

 

Baricitinib is an oral medication used for rheumatoid arthritis patients who do not respond well to existing treatments and has a mechanism of suppressing inflammation by regulating immune cells.

 

Professor Park Wan-beom (Infectious Internal Medicine) at Seoul National University Hospital recently said that the development of treatments for severe patients is urgent in Korea as the infection of COVID-19 increases in the elderly.

 

Also he said, it is expected that this study will be able to find an effective anti-inflammatory treatment for severe COVID-19 patients.