The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has added Ingavirin to the list of drugs recommended for the treatment of coronavirus infection, as well as nirmatrelvir/ritonavir supplied under the trade names of Mirobivir and Skyvira. The document with the updated recommendations was published on Thursday on the Ministry‘s website.
“The list of possible medications for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults: favipiravir, molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, remdesivir, synthetic small interfering RNAs (miRNA), human immunoglobulin against COVID-19, interferon-α, umifenovir, pentanedioic acid imidazolyl ethanamide (Ingavirin. – note by TASS), kasirivimab/imdevimab, bamlanivimab/etesevimab, sotrovimab, regdanvimab,” the document reads.
At the outpatient stage, doctors now may prescribe upadacitinib, a new Janus kinase inhibitor. The drug is allowed to patients with moderate severity of the disease along with other inhibitors, which the Ministry of Health recommended earlier, i.e., baricitinib or tofacitinib.
Other changes concern the mode of prescription of tixagevimab/cilgavimab monoclonal antibody and anakinra. The combination of antibodies was previously recommended for pre-contact prevention of COVID-19. In the new version of the document, the Ministry of Health changed the indications for tixagevimab/cilgavimab. The antibody combination should be administered to treat confirmed cases in patients at high risk of severe course of the disease.
The guidelines changes also affected anakinra, an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. The Ministry of Health has allowed the administration of the drug in a day hospital in cases with a mild course of the disease with a high risk of its progression. As for changes in drug therapy in the hospital, the Ministry of Health has allowed the use of Biapenem, a new antibacterial drug.