UK government officials have announced that critically ill patients with COVID-19 will soon receive rheumatoid arthritis drugs to increase recovery and the chances of survival.
The news comes amid approval of a third coronavirus vaccine for Britain; Moderna’s vaccine will join an arsenal of previously authorized vaccines developed by Pfizer / BioNTech and Oxford / AstraZeneca.
In a statement, UK authorities pointed out the preliminary results of a study published before the peer review, based on the government-supported international REMAP-CAP study.
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Tocilizumab and sarilumab infused in critically ill coronavirus patients shortly after admission to the intensive care unit reduced the risk of mortality by 24% and patients recovered within 10 days faster. The vast majority of patients also received a cheap, previously authorized and widely used steroid, called dexamethasone, which has already shown improved survival for critically ill patients in need of oxygen.
British officials hope that encouraging National Health Service providers to use tocilizumab, starting on Friday, will bring relief to overburdened health systems amid an increase in cases linked to a mutant strain. The drug is now available in hospitals in the UK and authorities are working with the drug’s sponsor, Roche, to ensure continued supply, according to the statement.
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said drugs can save hundreds of lives.
“We are working quickly to ensure that this treatment is available to NHS patients without delay, which means that hundreds of lives will be saved,” said Hancock in the statement. “I am extremely proud of the significant role that our NHS and its patients played in this international trial and are grateful to the scientists and physicians distinguished behind REMAP-CAP who brought this treatment to our patients.”
In the trial, 353 patients received tocilizumab, 48 received sarilumab and 402 were in a control group. While in-hospital mortality was 36% among the control group, deaths decreased by 8% among patients who received tocilizumab. The drug had mixed results, however, with the Italian Medicines Agency finding no benefit in terms of entry into intensive care or in terms of survival.
Meanwhile, last fall, the drug’s sponsor and the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche said people who received tocilizumab, marketed as Actemra / RoActemra, were 44% less likely to progress to the point that they needed life support equipment, according to the company’s EMPACTA phase 3 study.
The study leader, Prof. Anthony Gordon of Imperial College London also praised the results.
“This is a significant finding that could have immediate implications for the sickest patients with COVID-19,” he said in a university statement.
These drugs are known as immunomodulators, and California lung disease specialist Dr. Imran Sharief previously detailed to Fox News how the drugs work in patients with coronavirus.
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The coronavirus invades the body via receptors in the nasal passages and airways, Sharief explained. Inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6), promote an inflammatory response that causes organ damage. The drug treats coronavirus by blocking receptors and preventing the release of inflammatory mediators.
“I would suggest to my colleagues that as soon as you see a deteriorating patient, a rapid deterioration of the clinical condition with a high need for oxygen or on the ventilator, try to start the medication as soon as possible in the first 12-24 hours,” said Sharief last spring.
Daniella Genovese of Fox Business contributed to this report.