Infectious Disease

IDSA is updating pointers to help the usage of tocilizumab for COVID-19

February 23, 2021

1 min read

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The Infectious Diseases Society of America has endorsed the use of tocilizumab for COVID-19.

In a change to its clinical guidelines, IDSA is now proposing the use of tocilizumab – a common drug for rheumatoid arthritis – in addition to standard treatment such as steroids in patients treated with progressive severe or critical COVID-19 instead of standard care treatment alone.

Tocilizumab graphic

Source: attempted recovery

Initial indications from IDSA against the routine use of tocilizumab in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The change came after new results from the RECOVERY study were released, showing that tocilizumab reduced deaths in patients with COVID-19 who needed oxygen and showed signs of inflammation by an absolute difference of 4%.

To date, RECOVERY has evaluated numerous potential treatments for COVID-19, including dexamethasone. Tocilizumab entered the study last April and has been studied in more than 4,000 patients who were randomly assigned either an intravenous infusion of tocilizumab or their usual treatment.

The newly released data also suggest that tocilizumab in combination with a systemic corticosteroid such as dexamethasone may reduce mortality by about a third in patients who require simple oxygen and in patients who require invasive ventilation in patients with hypoxia and significant inflammation. lowered by almost half. According to a press release from the investigators.

The researchers reported that tocilizumab had other benefits, including increasing the likelihood of being alive on discharge within 28 days from 47% to 54% (RR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.12-1.34 ).

IDSA began publishing living guidelines for treating COVID-19 last April.

References:

IDSA guidelines for the treatment and management of patients with COVID-19. https://www.idsociety.org/practice-guideline/covid-19-guideline-treatment-and-management. Accessed February 23, 2021.

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