Tocilizumab for SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) Severe Pneumonitis

Summary

In a Phase 2 Simon's Optimal Two-Stages Design intravenous tocilizumab will be administered as single 8mg/Kg dose in patients affected by severe multifocal interstitial pneumonia correlated to SARS-CoV2 infection. Aim of the study is to test the hypothesis that an anti-IL6 treatment can be effective in calming the virus-induced cytokine storm, blocking deterioration of lung function or even promoting a rapid improvement of clinical conditions, preventing naso-tracheal intubation and/or death.

Timeline

Start

2020-03-12

Primary completion

2020-04-09

Completion

2020-05

Publications

• Background Tian S, Hu W, Niu L, Liu H, Xu H, Xiao SY. Pulmonary Pathology of Early-Phase 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pneumonia in Two Patients With Lung Cancer. J Thorac Oncol. 2020 May;15(5):700-704. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2020.02.010. Epub 2020 Feb 28.
• Background Ashour HM, Elkhatib WF, Rahman MM, Elshabrawy HA. Insights into the Recent 2019 Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in Light of Past Human Coronavirus Outbreaks. Pathogens. 2020 Mar 4;9(3):186. doi: 10.3390/pathogens9030186.
• Background Channappanavar R, Perlman S. Pathogenic human coronavirus infections: causes and consequences of cytokine storm and immunopathology. Semin Immunopathol. 2017 Jul;39(5):529-539. doi: 10.1007/s00281-017-0629-x. Epub 2017 May 2.
• Background Zumla A, Ippolito G, Ntoumi F, Seyfert-Margolies V, Nagu TJ, Cirillo D, Chakaya JM, Marais B, Maeurer M. Host-directed therapies and holistic care for tuberculosis. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Apr;8(4):337-340. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30078-3. Epub 2020 Feb 27. No abstract available.
• Sabbatinelli J, Giuliani A, Matacchione G, Latini S, Laprovitera N, Pomponio G, Ferrarini A, Svegliati Baroni S, Pavani M, Moretti M, Gabrielli A, Procopio AD, Ferracin M, Bonafe M, Olivieri F. Decreased serum levels of the inflammaging marker miR-146a are associated with clinical non-response to tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients. Mech Ageing Dev. 2021 Jan;193:111413. doi: 10.1016/j.mad.2020.111413. Epub 2020 Dec 8.

Drugs

Indications