Baricitinib: Goa adds new medicines to Covid treatment protocol

Panaji, May 15: 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.