Pharmacologic treatment of COVID-19 has continued to evolve since the onset of the pandemic, and yet many questions remain about optimal treatment.

Medicine strives to provide evidence-based guidance on treatments, but what if there is simply not enough evidence? Ambiguity persists within recommendations for COVID-19 optimal management identified by the simple use of the word “or.”

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) treatment recommendations for treatment of patients with COVID-19 who are hospitalized and require supplemental oxygen, or high levels of airway support, include the use of baricitinib or tocilizumab but lack guidance on which to choose.

An indirect comparison meta-analysis suggested noninferiority between these drugs.

Data comparing these two treatment options are necessary to provide guidance on if one of these two medications should be the preferred choice.

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