Nagpur: The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday approved two new Covid-19 treatments as the Omicron and Delta variant continues to wreak havoc in several countries across the globe.

In the guidelines published by the British Medical Journal, the drug called as baricitinib, which is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has been strongly recommended for patients with severe or critical Covid-19 in combination with costeroids.

The drug reportedly reduces the need for ventilation and has been found to improve patients’ chances of survival with no sign of an increase in adverse reactions, according to the panel. Experts also recommended synthetic antibody treatment Sotroviamb for people who have non-serious or milder Covid-19 or for those who are not at a higher risk of hospitalization. Corticosteroids are inexpensive and widely available and fight the inflammation that accompanies the virus.

The recommendations were based on the new evidence from seven trials which included 4,000 patients with non-severe cases as well as the critical ones. The WHO’s Covid-19 treatment recommendations are updated regularly as per the data revealed from clinical trials.