After a tragic death in India, the sweetener saccharin made the headlines. While it has widespread use in Europe, including the UK and EU, the sweetener is tightly regulated.
The Union health ministry on Thursday issued a revised Clinical Guidance for Management of Adult COVID-19 Patients recommending the EUA/off-label use of Tocilizumab drug in case of severe diseases, preferably within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of the disease or ICU admission. The guidelines issued by AIIMS, ICMR-COVID-19 National Task Force and the Joint Monitoring Group (DGHS) under the ministry stated that Tocilizumab (a drug that modifies the immune system or its functioning) may be considered in patients with significantly raised inflammatory markers and not improving despite use of steroids with there being no active bacterial/fungal/tubercular infection.