April 30, 2021

Tocilizumab in Patients Admitted to Hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): A Randomised, Controlled, Open-Label, Platform Trial

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): treatment

• A randomized, controlled, open-label study of 4,116 adults hospitalized with severe COVID-19 found that administration of the anti-inflammatory medication tocilizumab reduced mortality, increased the chances of successful hospital discharge, and reduced the chances of requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. During a 28-day follow-up period, patients who received tocilizumab were significantly more likely to be discharged from the hospital (57% vs 50%), less likely to die (31% vs 35%) and less likely to reach a composite endpoint of requiring invasive mechanical ventilation or death (25% vs 42%). These effects were consistent across patients, regardless of level of respiratory support provided during care.

Abani et al. (May 1, 2021). Tocilizumab in Patients Admitted to Hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): A Randomised, Controlled, Open-Label, Platform Trial. The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00676-0/fulltext