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The NHS on Thursday (May 5) said it has rolled out the arthritis drug baricitinib for seriously ill Covid patients. The Recovery trial, conducted by the NHS and University of Oxford, found that 13 per cent fewer severely ill patients died of Covid when treated with the drug compared to existing treatment options. Typically used to treat arthritis to reduce pain and inflammation, baricitinib can now be given to hospitalised Covid patients in addition to current treatments, and clinical studies show that this can provide benefits on top of existing treatment. The NHS has led the rollout of Covid medicines, from the discovery of dexamethasone as the world's first effective treatment, to the first vaccination outside of a clinical trial in December 2020. The NHS said baricitinib works by reducing inflammation caused by Covid-19 by blocking signals to the immune system that are causing it to attack the body.