May 20, 2021

Tocilizumab in the Treatment of COVID-19 – a Meta-Analysis

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): treatment

• The immunosuppressive monoclonal antibody treatment tocilizumab (TCZ) was associated with a 11% reduction in risk for all-cause 28- and 30-day mortality compared to placebo/control in a systematic review and meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials, which included 6,481 patients mostly with severe but non-critical COVID-19. TCZ was also associated with reduced risk of mechanical ventilation, ICU admission, and superinfection. However, no mortality benefit was demonstrated among the subgroup of critically ill patients or in trials where >80% of patients used steroids.

Avni et al. (May 19, 2021). Tocilizumab in the Treatment of COVID-19 – a Meta-Analysis. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcab142