An arthritis drug, tofacitinib, has shown positive effects in treating patients hospitalized with Covid-19 in a clinical trial, the results of which were published Wednesday June 16 in the
New England Journal of Medicine
.
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The cachet, sold among others under the Xeljanz brand, has been tested in a clinical trial on 289 patients hospitalized with severe forms of Covid, across 15 sites in Brazil.
Half of them received the drug - two tablets of 10mg per day - and conventional care, the other half a placebo and treatment.
After 28 days, 18.1% of the members of the treatment group developed respiratory failure - requiring, for example, intubation or a ventilator - or died, compared to 29% of the placebo group.
In total, some 5.5% of the members of the placebo group died compared to 2.8% of the patients taking tofacitinib.
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"We are encouraged by the first results of our randomized trial of tofacitinib in patients hospitalized with Covid-19 pneumonia
,
"
said Otavio Berwanger of the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, who conducted the clinical trial, in partnership with Pfizer.
Tofacitinib is approved in the United States to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis.
