Abstract

IMPACT OF TOCILIZUMAB IN CYTOKINE INHIBITOR THERAPY OF SEVERE COVID-19 PATIENTS

Swathy Suresh*, Lijo Joseph Thomas and Ashita Ajith

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus disease -19 (COVID-19) is a global health challenge emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019 poses a threat to public health all over the world. It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS -CoV-2) that results in illness ranging from common cold to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ dysfunction and septic shock. The current scenario reveals that the reason for increased mortality in COVID-19 patients is due to the uncontrolled production of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukins called as cytokine release syndrome (CRS). It is necessary to control the hyperinflammatory condition by using a suitable therapeutic agent, an interleukin receptor antagonist tocilizumab which was already approved for various rheumatological diseases. Thus, this review article evaluates the emerging role of tocilizumab in cytokine inhibitor therapy based on ongoing trials in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.

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