Greater Manchester medics help find life-saving Covid-19 treatment

Greater Manchester medics have helped to find a new life-saving drug for patients who are seriously ill with Covid-19. Critical care teams at the Royal Bolton Hospital are taking part in two major research studies.

The studies are named GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) and the RECOVERY trial. Initial data from the GenOMICC work predicted that the anti-inflammatory drug Baricitinib, normally used for rheumatoid arthritis, could improve the outcome for Covid-19 patients.

After that, a number of patients at the Royal Bolton Hospital received this treatment as part of the RECOVERY trial to try and give them the very best chance of survival. Recently published data has now revealed that Baricitinib is an effective treatment in the fight against COVID-19, alongside other treatments called Dexamethasone and Tocilizumab.

READ MORE: High Covid cases 'putting pressure on already stretched NHS services', say Greater Manchester health chiefs

Dr Gareth Hughes, Consultant in Intensive Care and Respiratory Medicine at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As our daily lives return to a sense of ‘normal’, behind-the-scenes we’re working to ensure we continue to have the best defences against Covid-19.

“As the virus evolves, these discoveries will help to reduce deaths, prevent people becoming seriously-ill or hospitalised, and ensure we can continue to get back to the things we love.

“It involves a large amount of work, so thank you to our research team, pharmacy team, nursing, and medical teams in COVID areas for supporting these studies.

“Their efforts mean our patients have received the best possible treatment and the research will allow patients in the UK and across the world to benefit from these therapies.”

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