Journal
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
Volume 80, Issue 6, Pages 803-815Publisher
BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219725
Keywords
therapeutics; inflammation; immune system diseases
Categories
Funding
- European League Against Rheumatism [CLI122]
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The research found that immunomodulatory therapies may be beneficial in managing COVID-19, but with some conflicting data. Glucocorticoids appear to improve survival in some patients, but more research is needed on the effects of other drugs.
Objective To summarise the available information on efficacy and safety of immunomodulatory agents in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods As part of a European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) taskforce, a systematic literature search was conducted from January 2019 to 11 December 2020. Two reviewers independently identified eligible studies according to the Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcome framework and extracted data on efficacy and safety of immunomodulatory agents used therapeutically in SARS-CoV-2 infection at any stage. The risk of bias was assessed with validated tools. Results Of the 60 372 records, 401 articles were eligible for inclusion. Studies were at variable risk of bias. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were available for the following drugs: hydroxychloroquine (n=12), glucocorticoids (n=6), tocilizumab (n=4), convalescent plasma (n=4), interferon beta (n=2), intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) (n=2) and n=1 each for anakinra, baricitinib, colchicine, leflunomide, ruxolitinib, interferon kappa and vilobelimab. Glucocorticoids were able to reduce mortality in specific subsets of patients, while conflicting data were available about tocilizumab. Hydroxychloroquine was not beneficial at any disease stage, one RCT with anakinra was negative, one RCT with baricitinib+remdesivir was positive, and individual trials on some other compounds provided interesting, although preliminary, results. Conclusion Although there is emerging evidence about immunomodulatory therapies for the management of COVID-19, conclusive data are scarce with some conflicting data. Since glucocorticoids seem to improve survival in some subsets of patients, RCTs comparing glucocorticoids alone versus glucocorticoids plus anticytokine/immunomodulatory treatment are warranted. This systematic literature review informed the initiative to formulate EULAR 'points to consider' on COVID-19 pathophysiology and immunomodulatory treatment from the rheumatology perspective.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available