Baricitinib for the treatment of COVID-19

Firdha Aprillia Wardhani (Departement of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jember)
Devina Sarah Syafika (Apothecary Study Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jember)
Yunita Dyah Kusumaningrum (Departement of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jember)
Adelia Firandi (Departement of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jember)

Journal of Agropharmacy
Vol. 1 No. 2 (2024)

Baricitinib which is one of the therapies for rheumatoid arthritis is a JAK inhibitor. WHO recommended therapy with the combination of baricitinib and corticosteroids in COVID-19 patients with severe or critical condition. Effectivity and safety assessment of Baricitinib use were carried out by reviewing the literature published between December 2019 – February 2022, and showed that the use of Baricitinib in COVID-19 patients resulted in an improvement of lung function, improvement of oxygen saturation, higher recovery rate, and lower mortality, with similar adverse event incidence. A loading dose or a higher dose can be recommended for patient with caution and consideration of higher possibility in the incidence of adverse events