Tocilizumab in COVID-19
The monoclonal antibody tocilizumab showed mixed results in treating COVID-19 in a small, retrospective study in EClinicalMedicine. Researchers examined roughly 50 patients admitted to one hospital for COVID-19 in March and April. Patients given tocilizumab were compared with patients not given the treatment. Most patients received hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. During a median 10 days’ follow-up, there was no significant difference between the treatment groups in improvement in oxygen support, discharge, or mortality. Tocilizumab was associated with shorter median duration of vasopressor support (2 vs. 5 days).