Janus kinase inhibitor baricitinib is not an ideal option for management of COVID-19

• Published in: International journal of antimicrobial agents Vol. 55; no. 5; p. 105967
• Main Authors: Praveen, D., Puvvada, Ranadheer Chowdary, M, Vijey Aanandhi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2020; Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy
• Subjects: Azetidines - therapeutic use; Baricitinib; Betacoronavirus - drug effects; Coronavirus Infections - drug therapy; COVID 19; COVID-19 Drug Treatment; Humans; Janus Kinase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Novel Corona Virus; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - drug therapy; Purines; Pyrazoles; SARS-CoV-2; Sulfonamides - therapeutic use; SARS-CoV-2; Novel Corona Virus; COVID 19; Baricitinib
• ISSN: 0924-8579; 1872-7913
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.105967

•Several studies suggested Baricitinib as a potential drug for the management of COVID 19 infection through drug repurposing strategies because of its ability to act on AT2 cells and AAK1 mediated endocytosis.•Baricitinib, a Januase Kinase Inhibitor, have known to cause Lymphocytopenia, Neutropenia and Viral Reactivation.•Reported Epidemiological studies have shown that COVID 19 patients have a lesser absolute lymphocyte count closer to the threshold value.•Moreover, incidence of Co-infection for COVID 19 patients is one of the leading causes of Mortality. Baricitinib may enhance the incidence of Co-infection.•Hence, Baricitinib may not be an ideal option for Management of COVID 19.
The Wuhan outbreak of novel Corona virus infection has been the global focus since December 2019. This infection has become a global pandemic. It is highly important to understand the virology of the pathogen and to explore the therapeutic options for management of this pandemic. Drug repurposing strategies are being considered for management of COVID 19. Among the identified drugs, Baricitinib has become a keen interest for researchers because of its ability to inhibit the viral assembly by the prevention of Clarithrin associated endocytosis. We tried to explore the reasons on why Baricitinib is not an ideal option for COVID 19.