British government officials have announced that critically ill COVID-19 patients will soon receive rheumatoid arthritis medication to improve recovery and the chance of survival.
The news comes amid the approval of a third coronavirus vaccine for Britain; Moderna’s vaccine will join an arsenal of previously authorized shots developed by Pfizer / BioNTech and Oxford / AstraZeneca.
In a statement, British officials pointed to the preliminary results of a study published before the peer review, using the international government-backed REMAP-CAP trial.
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Tocilizumab and sarilumab administered to seriously ill coronavirus patients shortly after admission to intensive care units reduced the risk of death by 24% and patients recovered up to ten days faster. The vast majority of patients also administered an inexpensive steroid previously approved and widely used in deesamethasone, which has already shown improved survival for critically ill patients in need of oxygen.
British officials hope that encouraging national health service providers to use tocilizumab from Friday will bring relief to the strained health systems amid an increase in cases involving a mutated strain. The medicine is already available in UK hospitals, and officials are working with the drug sponsor, Roche, to ensure continued supply, according to the statement.
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Health Minister Matt Hancock said the drugs could save hundreds of lives.
“We have worked quickly to ensure that this treatment is readily available to NHS patients, which means hundreds of lives will be saved,” Hancock said in the statement. “I am very proud of the important role that our NHS and its patients have played in this international trial, and grateful for the outstanding scientists and clinicians behind REMAP-CAP who have brought this treatment to our patients.”
In the trial, 353 patients received tocilizumab, 48 had sarilumab, and 402 were in a control group. While hospital mortality among the control group was 36%, mortality decreased by 8% among patients receiving tocilizumab. However, the drug yielded mixed results, as the Italian Medicines Agency had previously found no benefit in terms of admission to intensive care or survival.
Meanwhile, the medicine sponsor and the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche said last year that people who received tocilizumab, which is marketed as Actemra / RoActemra, are 44% less likely to progress to the point where they will have to rely on life-support equipment, according to the phase 3 EMPACTA study.
Supervisor, prof. Anthony Gordon of Imperial College London also praised the results.
“This is an important finding that could have immediate consequences for the sickest patients with COVID-19,” he said in a university statement.
These drugs are known as immunomodulators, and dr. Imran Sharief, a specialist in lung disease in California, had earlier explained to Fox News how the drugs work in coronavirus patients.
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Sharief said coronavirus enters the body through receptors in the nasal and airways. Inflammatory mediators, such as Interleukin 6 (IL-6), then promote an inflammatory response that causes organ damage. The drug treats coronavirus by blocking the receptors and preventing the release of inflammatory mediators.
“I would suggest to my colleagues that as soon as you see a deteriorating patient, a rapid deterioration in the clinical status with a high need for oxygen or in the ventilator, try to start the medication as soon as possible within the first 12-24 hours. , “Sharief said last spring.
Fox Business’ Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.