The drug, which will be added to UK treatment guidelines, offers hope in a time of growing concern, the country’s health system could be overwhelmed.
A drug for arthritis has been found to reduce the risk of death in people with the most severe cases of COVID-19 by a quarter if they are given treatment within 24 hours of entering intensive care, a British study on treatments for found.
The REMAP-CAP clinical trial, led by Imperial College and funded by the British government, found that tocilizumab, which suppresses the immune system and has long been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, could reduce the relative risk of death by 24% when administered shortly after admission to the ICU.
It also reduced the duration of intensive care patients by between seven and 10 days, the health ministry said in a statement.
Most of the data come from the administration of the drug in addition to a corticosteroid, such as dexamethasone, which has already been shown to improve patients’ chances of recovering from severe COVID-19 cases. The findings await peer review.
“This is a significant step forward in increasing the survival of patients on COVID-19 intensive care,” British Medical Assistant Jonathan Van-Tam said in a statement.
The data show that tocilizumab and probably sarilumab (another drug in the study) accelerate and improve the chances of recovery in intensive care, which is crucial to help ease the pressure on intensive care and hospitals and to save lives. “
A mass vaccination program is underway in the UK, but as the outbreak accelerates, there are concerns, the health system could be overwhelmed. [Jacob King/Pool via AFP]
The UK is battling a growing coronavirus crisis, fueled by a new variant of coronavirus, which is significantly more communicable. Authorities have imposed a new blockade on the country of nearly 67 million people amid growing concern that the health care system could be overwhelmed by the large number of patients in need of hospital treatment just before to feel the benefits of a mass vaccination program.
About 52,618 cases were confirmed on Thursday and 3,600 people were hospitalized.
“The implementation of these treatments could significantly help reduce pressure on hospitals in the coming weeks and months,” the health ministry said, adding that, under updated guidance, doctors would be encouraged to use tocilizumab in the treatment of COVID-19 inpatients. intensive care “that can save hundreds of lives.”