Arthritis Treatment Actemra Shows 77% Improvement in COVID-19 Patients

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] Amid the global competition to develop treatments for COVID-19 through drug repurposing, the rheumatoid arthritis treatment 'Actemra (tocilizumab)' was confirmed last month to be effective in treating COVID-19.

According to researchers at the University of Brescia, Italy, on the 22nd, 77% of COVID-19 patients treated with Actemra showed improvement or stabilization in their respiratory condition.

The researchers conducted a trial on 100 patients at the Brescia City Hospital in Italy. Among the 100 patients, 43 were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), and 57 were treated outside the ICU with Actemra.

Of the 43 patients who received intensive care, 32 (74%) showed symptom improvement, were removed from oxygen respirators, and transferred to general wards, while 1 patient remained stable. Additionally, among the 57 patients, 37 (65%) discontinued non-invasive ventilation, and 7 (12%) remained stable in the ICU.

Overall, respiratory status improved or stabilized in 77 patients (77%) over a total of 10 days. Among them, 61 showed a significant reduction in lung damage on chest radiographs, and 15 were discharged from the hospital.

The results are scheduled to be published in the July issue of the academic journal Autoimmunity Reviews. A research official explained, "This study highlights that COVID-19 is characterized by severe pneumonia caused by acute respiratory illness and an excessive immune response leading to a cytokine storm," and added, "The response to Actemra supports the hypothesis that it is clinically significant."

Accordingly, AIFA, the Italian Medicines Agency under the Ministry of Health, has started a study on Actemra involving 330 COVID-19 patients.

Actemra is an antibody therapy that inhibits the binding of IL-6, a protein that causes inflammation in the body, and its receptor, and is considered effective in treating IL-6 related diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Last month, it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a Phase 3 clinical trial for severe COVID-19, and a global study is underway involving about 330 patients worldwide. Japan has also entered Phase 3 trials. In Korea, JW Pharmaceutical holds exclusive domestic rights from Chugai Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of the multinational Roche Group, the developer of Actemra.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.