Therapeutics and COVID-19

WHO develops the most up-to-date clinical practice guidelines for the use of therapeutics for patients with COVID-19 based on ongoing assessment of new evidence generated by the international medical research community and first responders.

Guidelines and resources on this page include:  
  • Information on COVID-19 therapeutics under assessment by WHO and current timelines for the development of clinical practice guidelines.
  • The most recent WHO guideline for therapeutics to treat COVID-19 and associated online interactive publication platform. 
  • Open-access journal publications for the current therapeutic recommendations.
  • Resources and tools for health care workers to support prescribing and administering therapeutics and monitoring patients. 
  • Resources for patients, caregivers and families.

 

Therapeutics and COVID-19 Guideline Development

The WHO steering committee meets regularly to review new evidence for therapeutics and prioritize when a new guideline update will be triggered.

WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) is made up of an expert panel of global experts, frontline providers and patient partners developing transparent and trustworthy quality COVID-19 clinical practice guidelines. –  Biographies of experts: WHO Guideline Development Group Living Guidelines for COVID-19.

The GDG convenes regularly to prepare for and review evidence summaries from international clinical trials with the support of an expert team of methodologists; and then develops clinical practice recommendations for the use of therapeutics to treat patients with COVID-19 of any disease severity. Guidelines undergo peer review by a further set of clinicians and the Guideline Review Committee prior to publication.  

Rapid adaptation and implementation of WHO-recommended therapeutics into the COVID-19 clinical care pathways is essential at national and local levels to impact patient outcomes. 

Current list of therapeutics under review by the GDG with tentative timelines for the publication of recommendations and upcoming meetings.

The following therapeutics are currently under review: SLGT2, heparin, VV116, simvastatin and metformin.

                                    

Publications

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Therapeutics and COVID-19: Living guideline, 10 November 2023
10 November 2023

Therapeutics and COVID-19: Living guideline, 10 November 2023

The WHO Therapeutics and COVID-19: living guideline contains the most up-to-date recommendations for the use of therapeutics in the treatment...

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Drugs to prevent COVID-19: living guideline
24 March 2023

Drugs to prevent COVID-19: living guideline

The WHO Living guideline: Drugs to prevent COVID-19 contains the Organization’s most up-to-date recommendations for the use of drugs to...

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COVID-19 Therapeutic tools and resources for health care workers

    

Antivirals for non severe COVID-19 Toolbox

    

Therapeutics for severe and critical COVID-19 Toolbox