Abstract
Background: Since December 2019, COVID-19 has spread to almost every corner of the world. In theory, tocilizumab and favipiravir are considered to be reliable drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 with elevated IL-6. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab combined with favipiravir in patients with COVID-19.
Methods: This was a multicenter trial in adults with COVID-19. Patients were randomly assigned (3:1:1) to a 14-day combination of favipiravir combined with tocilizumab (combination group), favipiravir, and tocilizumab. The primary outcome was the cumulative lung lesion remission rate (lung CT examination indicated absorption of lung inflammation).
Results: Between Feb 2 and March 15, 2020, 26 patients were recruited; 14 were randomly assigned to the combination group, 7 were assigned to the favipiravir group and 5 were assigned to the tocilizumab group. The cumulative lung lesion remission rate at day 14 was significantly higher in combination group as compared with favipiravir group (P = 0.019, HR 2.66 95 % CI [1.08-6.53]). And there was also a significant difference between tocilizumab and favipivavir (P = 0.034, HR 3.16, 95 % CI 0.62-16.10). In addition, there was no significant difference between the combination group and the tocilizumab group (P = 0.575, HR 1.28 95 %CI 0.39-4.23). Furthermore, combined therapy can also significantly relieve clinical symptoms and help blood routine to return to normal. No serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusion: Tocilizumab combined with or without favipiravir can effectively improve the pulmonary inflammation of COVID-19 patients and inhibit the deterioration of the disease.
Keywords: COVID-19; Favipiravir; Interleukin-6; SARS-CoV-2; Tocilizumab.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Tocilizumab, interleukin-6, Favipiravir, 【초록키워드】 Treatment, Clinical symptoms, Tocilizumab, IL-6, interleukin-6, Favipiravir, lung, drug, pulmonary inflammation, Deterioration, interleukin, Patient, Efficacy and safety, COVID-19 patients, Combination, Lung inflammation, COVID-19 patient, Multicenter trial, Lung CT, lung lesion, Serious Adverse Events, Serious Adverse Event, Primary outcome, significant difference, treatment of COVID-19, no significant difference, clinical symptom, help, Blood routine, Combined therapy, Absorption, cumulative, theory, Randomly, 95 % CI, IMPROVE, spread to, significantly, reported, indicated, addition, inhibit, the disease, elevated, significantly higher, assigned, patients with COVID-19, with COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 Treatment, Tocilizumab, Favipiravir, small sample size,