Baricitinib in Symptomatic Patients Infected by COVID-19: an Open-label, Pilot Study.
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2020-07-30
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
There is no specific antiviral treatment recommended for COVID-19, and no vaccine is
currently available. Baricitinib, an anti-Janus kinase inhibitor (anti-JAK) acting against
JAK1 and JAK2. The drug was found capable to reduce or interrupt the passage of the virus
into target cells, and to inhibit the JAK1- and JAK2-mediated cytokine release. The drug was
licensed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis at the daily dose of 4 mg/orally, with
excellent results in terms of clinical response and a good safety profile. Since baricitinib
does not interact with antivirals due to its prevalent renal elimination, it may be used in
combination.The evidence on the advantageous action of baricitinib on viral entry and
cytokine outbreak constituted the rationale to perform a trial on patients with mild to
moderate COVID-19 infection receiving baricitinib combined with antiviral therapy.