Eli Lilly’s Arthritis Drug Fails to Prevent Mechanical Ventilation in COVID-19 Patients

(Reuters) – Eli Lilly and Co and Incyte Corp said their rheumatoid arthritis drug baricitinib did not meet the main goal of preventing progression to mechanical ventilation in hospitalized COVID-19 patients under a late-stage study.

Patients receiving baricitinib were 2.7% less likely than those receiving standard of care to progress to ventilation, which was not statistically significant, the data showed.

Baricitinib has been granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in combination with remdesivir for COVID-19 patients requiring supplemental oxygen.

The study enrolled 1,525 hospitalized COVID-19 patients who received either baricitinib or placebo along with standard of care including corticosteroids and remdesivir.

Lilly will share the data from the trial with regulatory authorities in the United States, European Union and other geographies to evaluate next steps.

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