Use of monoclonal antibodies to IL-6 in patients with severe COVID-19

ABSTRACT

The use of monoclonal antibodies against interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptors is considered as a potential method of treatment and prevention of complications of the new coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19), based on reducing the intensity of the cytokine storm. The aim. To assess the relationship between the use of IL-6 blockers and the risk of tracheal intubation in patients with severe pneumonia associated with COVID-19. Methods. The retrospective cohort study included patients over 18 years of age admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with confirmed COVID-19 infection, lung tissue damage of at least 25% between November 4, 2020 and December 25, 2020. All patients underwent standard therapy in accordance with the current recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, including IL-6 blockers in some patients. The primary endpoint was tracheal intubation and initiation of mechanical ventilation (MV). Data on the use of IL-6 inhibitors, baseline demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics, as well as information on tracheal intubation, fatal outcomes and length of hospitalization were obtained from the unified medical information and analytical system of the city of Moscow. To analyze the relationship between the use of IL-6 blockers and endpoints adjusted for baseline characteristics, a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used. Results. The study included 242 patients, in 120 (49.5%) of them IL-6 blockers were used. The independent predictors of tracheal intubation were the degree of lung tissue damage, ferritin and diabetes, while the use of IL-6 blockers was not associated with a decrease in the risk of intubation hazard ratio (HR) 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63 – 1.48) and death HR 1.05 (95% CI 0.69 – 1.62). Subgroup analysis showed that, among surviving patients, the use of IL-6 blockers was associated with an average decrease in hospital stay by 3 days (95% CI 1 – 6 days). Conclusion. The use of IL-6 blockers was not associated with a decrease in the risk of tracheal intubation or death. Among surviving patients, the use of IL-6 blockers was associated with a decrease in the length of hospital stay. These findings may contribute to medical decision making during COVID-19 pandemic associated high hospital workload. © 2021 Medical Education. All rights reserved.