Practical aspects of targeting IL-6 in COVID-19 disease

Cassandra Calabrese; Prabalini Rajendram; Gretchen L Sacha; Leonard Calabrese

doi:10.3949/ccjm.87a.ccc018

Practical aspects of targeting IL-6 in COVID-19 disease

Cleve Clin J Med. 2020 Oct 7. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.87a.ccc018. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Cassandra Calabrese¹, Prabalini Rajendram², Gretchen L Sacha², Leonard Calabrese²

Affiliations

¹ Cleveland Clinic CALABRC@ccf.org.
² Cleveland Clinic.

PMID: 32409439
DOI: 10.3949/ccjm.87a.ccc018

Abstract

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) took center stage as a therapeutic target, given its role in the cytokine storm phase of COVID-19. While IL-6 inhibitors have been widely used to treat a variety of immune-mediated disease states, they have not been used often in the intensive care setting, and new data question their efficacy. This brief review provides practical information on their administration and safety.