The drug, which will be added to treatment guidelines in the UK, offers hope at a time of growing concern that the country’s health system could become overwhelmed.
An arthritis drug has been found to reduce the risk of death by a quarter for people with the most severe cases of COVID-19 if they receive treatment within 24 hours of entering intensive care, a UK study found found treatments for the disease.
The REMAP-CAP clinical trial, led by Imperial College and funded by the UK government, found that tocilizumab, which suppresses the immune system and has long been used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, could reduce the relative risk of death by 24 percent when it is administered. shortly after admission to the ICU.
It also reduced the time patients spent in intensive care by seven to 10 days, the Department of Health said in a statement.
Most of the data comes from when the drug was administered in addition to a corticosteroid, such as dexamethasone, which has already been shown to increase patients’ chances of recovering from severe cases of COVID-19. The findings await peer review.
“This is an important step forward in increasing the survival of ICU patients with COVID-19,” said Jonathan Van-Tam, UK Deputy Chief Medical Officer.
“The data shows that tocilizumab, and likely sarilumab (another drug in the study), will accelerate and improve the chances of recovery in the intensive care unit, which is crucial to alleviate the pressure in intensive care units and hospitals and save lives. . “
A large-scale vaccination program is underway in the UK, but as the outbreak accelerates there are concerns that the health system could become overwhelmed [Jacob King/Pool via AFP]
The UK is facing an escalating coronavirus crisis fueled by a new variant of the coronavirus that is significantly more transmissible. Authorities have imposed a new lockdown on the country of nearly 67 million people amid growing concerns that the health system could be overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients needing hospital treatment, even before the benefits of a large-scale vaccination program are felt.
On Thursday, 52,618 cases were confirmed and 3,600 people admitted to hospital.
“The rollout of these treatments could contribute significantly to reducing the pressure on hospitals in the coming weeks and months,” said the Department of Health, adding that under updated guidance, doctors would be encouraged to use tocilizumab in their treatment of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units “potentially saving hundreds of lives.”