Govt suggests alternative drugs to control mortality rate in COVID-19 patients
Govt suggests alternative drugs to control mortality rate in COVID-19 patients
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination has suggested that the Baricitinib or Tofacitinib are appropriate alternative drugs to Tocilizumab to control the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients.
As per the latest guidelines issued by the ministry, both drugs belong to the same class of anti-inflammatory drugs like the Janus kinase (JAK) Inhibitors and recommended that Baricitinib or Tofacitinib should only be given in combination with dexamethasone or another corticosteroid.
It added, Tocilizumab, especially in combination with dexamethasone, has been effective at lowering the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients whose respiratory systems decomposed rapidly and required oxygen delivery through a high-flow device or noninvasive ventilation.
There is now a shortage of this life-saving drug not just in Pakistan, but across the world and regulatory bodies in various countries have re-directed healthcare providers to alternatives, it added.
It said that healthcare workers, especially those involved in critical care of COVID-19 patients, should visit the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) website and review the guidelines which include more details about dosage and precautions.
