NEW living guidelines for the care of non-pregnant adults with COVID-19 have been published today by the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Established in March 2020 and comprising 34 peak national organisations and over 200 contributors, the Australian National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce develops and maintains up-to-date recommendations for the treatment of people with COVID-19.
The original guideline (April 2020) has been continuously updated and expanded from nine to 176 recommendations, facilitated by the rapid identification, appraisal, and analysis of clinical trial findings and subsequent review by expert panels.
“The Taskforce currently recommends eight drug treatments for people with COVID-19 who do not require supplemental oxygen – inhaled corticosteroids, casirivimab/imdevimab, molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir/ ritonavir, regdanvimab, remdesivir, sotrovimab, tixagevimab/cilgavimab – and six for those who require supplemental oxygen – systemic corticosteroids, remdesivir, tocilizumab, sarilumab, baricitinib, casirivimab/imdevimab,” wrote the authors, led by Heath White, a Senior Research Officer with Cochrane Australia.
“Based on evidence of their achieving no or only limited benefit, ten drug treatments or treatment combinations are not recommended; an additional 42 drug treatments should only be used in the context of randomised trials.
“Additional recommendations include support for the use of continuous positive airway pressure, prone positioning, and endotracheal intubation in patients whose condition is deteriorating, and prophylactic anticoagulation for preventing venous thromboembolism.
“The latest updates and full recommendations are available at the Taskforce website (https://covid19evidence.net.au/).
- Cate Swannell