Treating hospitalised COVID-19 patients with drugs that block the effects of an over reactive immune system reduces the risk of death, according to a new study.
Professor Manu Shankar-Hari, a critical care consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’, was lead author for this research that was co-ordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The findings have prompted new World Health Organization recommendations to use the treatment in patients with severe or critical COVID-19, along with corticosteroids, which reduce inflammation throughout the body. The body-wide inflammation caused by the immune system is one of the main reasons why COVID-19 is so dangerous. The study looked at the effect of drugs which block an immune molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6). The researchers analysed information on almost 11,000 patients who participated in 27 trials of IL-6 blocking treatments from 28 countries. The studies compared the effect of IL-6 blockers to placebo or usual care, including steroid treatments.
Treating patients with IL-6 blockers saved four additional lives for every 100 hospitalised patients.
One of the areas this study looked at was the effect of combining IL-6 blocking drugs and the existing steroid treatments. It found that the drugs tocilizumab and sarilumab were even more effective when given to patients who were also receiving steroid treatments.
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