A new study published in the Lancet Rheumatology has found that the rheumatoid arthritis drug Tocilizumab can prevent an overreaction of the immune system that can lead to deadly inflammation and tissue damage in severe COVID-19 cases. This overreaction, known as a cytokine storm, often occurs when the infection spreads from the lungs to other organs or blood vessels. Tocilizumab, which was originally developed to treat rheumatic diseases, neutralizes the receptor for interleukin 6, a crucial function of the immune system in fighting infections. The study, based on data from 179 COVID-19 patients who received the drug, found that Tocilizumab reduced the mortality rate by two-thirds compared to the standard therapy.
The study was conducted in three Italian hospitals and included 179 COVID-19 patients who received Tocilizumab and 365 patients who received the standard therapy. The drug was mainly used in severely ill patients with a Horovitz quotient of 169 mm Hg, while the control group had a Horovitz quotient of 277 mm Hg. The Horovitz quotient is a scale that describes the severity of lung failure. Surprisingly, the drug caused an increase in the SOFA score, which is used to evaluate multi-organ failure, from two to three in the Tocilizumab group, while the score remained at two in the control group. Despite this, the mortality rate in the Tocilizumab group was reduced to seven percent, compared to 20 percent in the control group.
However, the study also reported a possible side effect of the drug, with 13 percent of patients who received Tocilizumab experiencing a re-infection of COVID-19, compared to four percent in the control group. The researchers also noted that a randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm the retrospective analysis before a final conclusion can be made about the drug’s effectiveness. Overall, the study provides hope for a potential treatment for severe COVID-19 cases and highlights the importance of continued research in this area.
