Abstract
The identification of elevated IL-6 levels in patients with severe COVID-19 led to the rapid development of clinical trials targeting this cytokine. Overall, these trials do not support the widespread use of IL-6 antagonists in hospitalized patients with mild-to-moderate disease, but IL-6 antagonists may be beneficial when rapidly deployed in patients with severe COVID-19, as we discuss here.
MeSH terms
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Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / adverse effects
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Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / therapeutic use
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COVID-19 / complications
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COVID-19 / immunology*
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COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / drug therapy*
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / etiology
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Cytokine Release Syndrome / immunology*
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Cytokines / antagonists & inhibitors
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Humans
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Interleukin-6 / antagonists & inhibitors*
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Interleukin-6 / blood
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Receptors, Interleukin-6 / antagonists & inhibitors
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SARS-CoV-2*
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Severity of Illness Index
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Signal Transduction / drug effects
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Signal Transduction / immunology
Substances
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Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
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Cytokines
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IL6 protein, human
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Interleukin-6
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Receptors, Interleukin-6