India News | Goa Adds Baricitinib Medicine to COVID-19 Treatment Protocol
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The health department in Goa is working on an additional treatment protocol with the introduction of Baricitinib medicine for COVID-19 patients, state health minister Vishwajit Rane said on Saturday.
Panaji, May 15 (PTI) The health department in Goa is working on an additional treatment protocol with the introduction of Baricitinib medicine for COVID-19 patients, state health minister Vishwajit Rane said on Saturday.
He said the medicine would ensure patients do not reach the "oxygen stage" or breathlessness and would also prove effective in preventing a "cytokine storm", an umbrella medical term encompassing several immune dysregulation.
In a tweet, Rane said, "Subsequent to our meeting held yesterday with the expert team of doctors, the Health Department is working on additional treatment protocols recently adopted by the Karnataka Government and approved by DRDO and ICMR for emergency use."
"Dr Anoop Amarnath, Head, Scientific Board and Chairman Geriatric Medicine, Manipal Hospital and member of state's Critical Care Support Team, has supported and approved the usage of Baricitinib. It is to be administered orally from the 5th day of the symptom along with Remdesivir," he further tweeted.
The use of Baricitinib had "prevented patients from reaching the oxygen stage/breathlessness" and had also proven to be effective in preventing a Cytokine storm, adding that the treatment protocol would be modified further with the advice of expert doctors.
Baricitinib is generally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in adults.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)