- UK researchers have just announced that a drug widely studied in COVID-19 therapy can save lives if administered to patients with severe COVID-19 within the first 24 hours of admission to intensive care units.
- This is tocilizumab, a drug that researchers found to be effective in treating coronavirus in November. At the time, scientists could not say whether the drug can prevent death or just speed recovery.
- The new data indicates that tocilizumab and sarilumab may save an extra life for every 12 patients with COVID-19 in critical condition.
A report in mid-November said that a coronavirus drug had shown great promise in treating severe COVID-19 during one study. The doctors were so impressed with the results that they had to stop the study earlier so that the placebo group in the research could also access the therapy. But the researchers were unable to explain at the time how the drug worked. The researchers found that treatment can increase survival rates and / or reduce recovery time, but were unable to explain why. “We don’t know yet, we are hopeful that you will do both,” said Professor Anthony Gordon of Imperial College London BBC at the time. Doctors expected the drug to become the standard of care.
The medication in question was tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory that was studied at different times during the pandemic, reaching the news on more than one occasion. Some studies have failed to demonstrate definitively that the drug worked, but doctors have not given up on it. This led to the UK study, which shared its findings in November. Since then, doctors have finally figured out how the drug works and how to save more lives.
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It is not just tocilizumab that doctors in the UK will use to treat COVID-19 in the future, but also sarilumab, both in the same class of drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
The drugs are administered intravenously, with the UK government already working to ensure delivery to patients. The drugs were added to the country’s list of export restrictions.
“For every 12 patients you treat with these drugs, you hope to save a life. It’s a big effect, ”said the same Gordon to the BBC. In addition to saving more lives, the drugs also speed recovery and reduce the time that critically ill patients need to spend in intensive care by about a week.
The REMAP-CAP study was conducted in six different countries, not just the United Kingdom, and included 800 patients in intensive care. Nearly 36% of patients who received standard treatment died, compared with 27% of patients who received tocilizumab or sarilumab. The main finding appears to be related to the timing of therapy. The drugs were administered to patients 24 hours after their entry into intensive care.
The drugs reduce the exacerbated inflammation that can appear in severe cases of COVID-19. Doctors are advised to administer any of the medications to any patient with COVID-19 who is deteriorating despite receiving dexamethasone. This is the life-saving COVID-19 treatment and was confirmed as effective last summer by researchers in the United Kingdom.
“The fact that there is now another drug that can help reduce the mortality of patients with Covid-19 is extremely welcome news and another positive development in the ongoing fight against the virus,” said NHS National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis.
“The UK has proven time and again that it is at the forefront in identifying and providing the most promising and innovative treatments for its patients,” said Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock of the discovery. “Today’s results are another milestone in the search for a way out of this pandemic and, when added to the arsenal of vaccines and treatments already underway, they will play a significant role in the defeat of this virus.”
Dexamethasone is an incredibly affordable therapy as it is a widely used steroid. A course of treatment costs £ 5 ($ 7). But tocilizumab and sarilumab are much more expensive, with treatment costing between £ 750 ($ 1,019) and £ 1,000 ($ 1,359) per patient. O BBC points out that the drugs are still cheaper than £ 2,000 ($ 2,716) paid for a day of intensive care.
Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby and, before he knew it, was sharing his views on technology with readers around the world. Whenever he’s not writing about gadgets, he fails miserably to stay away from them, although he tries desperately. But this is not necessarily a bad thing.