Addition of tocilizumab to standard of care reduces mortality in severe COVID-19 patients

Objectives:
Tocilizumab (TCZ) is an anti-interleukin-6 antibody that has been used for the treatment of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, concrete evidence of its benefit in reducing mortality in severe COVID-19 is lacking. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Does the addition of tocilizumab to the standard of care reduce mortality in severe COVID-19 patients?  

Study design:
This review article included 13 retrospective studies and 3 prospective studies. There were 2,488 patients (61.7% males) in the standard of care (SOC) group and 1,153 patients (68.7% males) in the tocilizumab (TCZ) group.

No significant publication bias was found.

Results and conclusions:   
The investigators found the death rate in the tocilizumab group, 22.4% (258/1,153), was lower than in the standard of care group, 26.21% (652/2,488) [pooled odds ratio = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.36 to 0.92, p = 0.02, I2 = 80%].

The investigators concluded the addition of tocilizumab to the standard of care reduces mortality in severe COVID-19 patients. However, more extensive randomized clinical trials are needed to validate these findings.

Original title:
Addition of Tocilizumab to the Standard of Care Reduces Mortality in Severe COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Boregowda U, Perisetti A, […], Goyal H.

Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7566918/

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