Tocilizumab use in COVID-19-associated pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: We sought to evaluate the effect of tocilizumab (TCB), a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody against soluble interleukin-6 receptors, in patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: We included all patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who had completed hospitalization between March 10, 2020 and April 10, 2020 with follow-up through April 20, 2020. Patients who received TCB in addition to standard of care within 48 h of admission were matched in a 1:2 fashion to a similar cohort who received standard of care alone. Clinical outcomes were compared between matched groups. The primary outcome was de-escalation in oxygen therapy. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital death, septic shock, and acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring hemodialysis. RESULTS: Out of 77 patients who received TCB in addition to standard of care, 34% (n = 26) received TCB within 48 h of admission. One-to-two propensity matching identified 20 versus 40 patients in the TCB and no-TCB treatment arms. In the TCB group, an improvement in oxygenation was observed in 80% (n = 16) of the patients by 7 days post TCB administration. After matching, there was no difference in clinical outcomes between TCB and no-TCB patients. In-hospital death: 10% versus 8%; p = .823, septic shock: 10% versus 11%, p = .912, AKI requiring hemodialysis (10% vs. 13%; p = .734). CONCLUSIONS: Early treatment with TCB in patients admitted for COVID-19 led to an improvement in their oxygen status during hospitalization. This change however did not translate into improved survival when compared to a matched cohort with a similar clinical profile.

Clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and HIV coinfection.

BACKGROUND: Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection may be at an increased risk for morbidity and mortality from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We present the clinical outcomes of HIV patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in a matched comparison with historical controls. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of HIV patients admitted for COVID-19 between March 2020 and April 2020 to Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Data on baseline clinical characteristics and hospital course were documented and compared with that of a matched control group of COVID-19 patients who had no history of HIV. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the log-rank tests were used to estimate and compare in-hospital survival between both unmatched and matched groups. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients with HIV were hospitalized with COVID-19. The median age was 59 years. The rates of in-hospital death, the need for mechanical ventilation, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were 13% (n = 3), 9% (n = 2), and 9% (n = 2), respectively. The HIV infection was well-controlled in all patients except for three patients presented with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). All AIDS patients were discharged home uneventfully. A one-to-one propensity matching identified 23 COVID-19 patients who served as a control group. In both pre- and post-match cohorts, survival between HIV and control groups were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort of HIV-infected patients hospitalized for COVID-19, there was no difference in mortality, ICU admission, and the need for mechanical ventilation when compared with a matched control of COVID-19 patients with HIV.