The World Health Organisation has recommended interleukin-6 receptor blockers for people with severe Covid-19, urging the producers to join efforts to rapidly increase the access to the drugs.
Geneva – The World Health Organisation on Tuesday recommended interleukin-6 receptor blockers for people with severe Covid-19, urging the producers to join efforts to rapidly increase the access to the drugs.
These are the first drugs found to be effective against Covid-19 since corticosteroids were recommended by the WHO in September 2020. According to the WHO, the prospective and living network meta-analysis showed that in severely or critically ill patients, administering these drugs reduces the odds of death by 13 percent, compared to standard care.
In addition, by using the drugs the odds of mechanical ventilation among severe and critical patients are reduced by 28 percent, compared with standard care, and this translates to 23 fewer patients out of a thousand needing mechanical ventilation.