A World Health Organisation panel has recommended the use of two drugs by Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology for Covid-19 patients, adding treatment options as the fast-spreading Omicron variant renders many ineffective.

The panel has strongly recommended Lilly's baricitinib, sold under brand name Olumiant, for patients with severe Covid-19 in combination with corticosteroids, while conditionally endorsed GSK-Vir's antibody therapy for non-severe patients at the highest risk of hospitalisation.

So far, GSK-Vir's monoclonal antibody therapy is the only one that has shown effectiveness against Omicron in lab tests, while similar treatments from Eli Lilly and Co and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals offered lower protection in such tests.

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