Report has emerged of results from a randomized clinical trial of immune modulators designed to block the cytokine storm that can lead to acute respiratory syndrome (ARS), a leading cause of covid-19 death.
This non-blinded but randomized study with 65 standard-of-care + tocilizumab vs. 64 standard of care alone found a significantly lower proportion of patients in the tocilizumab arm died or required ventilation by day 14 among hospitalized patients with moderate to severe pneumonia but not requiring ICU upon admission. Tocilizumab is a monoclonal antibody blocking receptors for the IL-6 cytokine thought to be key in ARS. This is part of a CORIMUNO-19 platform trial studying numerous immune modulators.
Eager to to see study details when it comes out -- what do the Kaplan-Meiers look like, and what do secondary outcomes look like, and are there any toxicities of interest.
