What are the 4 treatments of COVID-19 evaluated by the WHO and what is their real scope

Since the start of the pandemic They began to research which drugs that already existed for other diseases could also be effective and safe for COVID-19 disease. New compounds have also started to be tested. It is a wild breed, and now the World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its “Living guide” treatments after reviewing the available evidence for different treatments. He strongly recommended corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone, and added to the drug Ivermectina only limited for use in clinical trials in patients with Covid-19, as there are no further studies on its usefulness for this specific disease.

“The WHO update is the current best guide for the treatment of COVID-19. It’s a new disease and clinical trials continuously provide results on benefits and risks. Since it is a viral infection, developing a specific treatment is more difficult than bacterial infections, ”he commented. Infobae Juan Franco, professor in the research department of the University Institute of the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires.

In the new version of the WHO guide, it is mentioned that “the evidence base for the therapy of COVID is growing rapidly and new treatments have emerged”. Here are the keys to keep in mind for the 4 drugs:

1- Systemic corticosteroids

For WHO experts, systemic corticosteroids, such as dexamethasone, deserve a “strong recommendation” in the treatment of COVID-19 after analyzing specific studies. The review was supported by a prospective meta-analysis, with data from Eight trials involving 7,184 participants found that systemic corticosteroids likely reduced 28-day mortality in patients with critical COVID-19 and also in seriously ill people.

2- Anti coagulants

A “Conditional recommendation” for the use of low doses of anti coagulants in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. This recommendation is part of the patient management guide. WHO experts noted that this suggests the use of “Low doses” of anticoagulants instead of high doses, unless otherwise specified.

3- Remdesivir

Remdesivir is a drug that only has the ‘conditional’ recommendation from the WHO, which means that more efficacy and safety studies are needed to administer them in Covid-19. Last year, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) There was a “authorization for urgent use “ for the treatment of severe cases of COVID-19 with the antiviral remdesivir. On June 25, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended to the European Commission its “conditional authorizationFor these patients. The controversy over the last year was generated by the high price of the drug per patient.

4- Ivermectina

The drug ivermectin should only be used in clinical trials for COVID-19 until there is more evidence., as recommended by the World Health Organization after reviewing published studies. In Latin America, there are already cities and medical professionals who indicate the drug to patients with coronavirus. But the health agency said there was even more evidence on its effectiveness and safety.

“The current evidence on the use of ivermectin to treat patients with COVID-19 is inconclusive. Until more data is available, the WHO recommends that the drug be used only in clinical trials ”, this was stated today in a statement. This recommendation, he said, applies to patients with COVID-19, regardless of the severity of the disease.

Ivermectin is a broad spectrum antiparasitic drug. It was already on the WHO essential drugs list for several parasitic diseases. It is used to treat onchocerciasis (river blindness), strongyloidiasis and other soil-borne helminthiasis diseases. It is also used to treat scabies.

Regarding ivermectin, WHO experts looked at pooled data from 16 randomized controlled trials (with a total of 2407 participants), which included both inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19. They determined that the evidence as to whether ivermectin reduces mortality, the need for mechanical ventilation, the need for hospitalization, and the time to clinical improvement in patients with COVID-19 is “very low certainty. “due to small sizes and methodological limitations. available test data. The panel did not discuss the use of ivermectin to prevent COVID-19, which is outside the scope of current guidelines.

Previously, the WHO had spoken strongly against the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 of any severity, and against the administration of lopinavir / ritonavir for the treatment of COVID-19 of any severity.

“Although there are treatments, today we must think that it is better not to be infected”, underlined Dr. Franco. “As with other infections, such as measles, the public health strategy for the control of Covid-19 today mainly involves vaccination and measures such as permanent ventilation, removal, hand washing and jugular”.

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