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Summary
- Two drugs manufactured by Roche’s arthritis drugs -- Tocilizumab and Sarilumab were investigated in a UK-led study
- The REMAP-CAP trial has indicated that these medicines are effective in treating severely ill coronavirus patients
- PM Boris Johnson has said both the drugs would be made available through the NHS with immediate effect
As the whole world is struggling to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and countries are trying to control the spread of the new virus variant, the United Kingdom has come up with a landmark study which says that two Roche’s arthritis drugs, typically used for treating arthritis, are effective in treating critically ill Covid-19 patients. The Imperial College London led the study.
It has also been found that these drugs might significantly improve the rate of survival. However, these findings are yet to get peer reviewed. The trial has been sponsored by the UMC Utrecht, Europe.
(Image source: ©Kalkine Group 2020)
A trial called the REMAP-CAP was carried out to evaluate the effect of a combination of treatments on the survival and recovery time of the patients in the intensive care unit. The trial involved 3,900 people from 15 countries with a concentration of severe Covid-19 infections.
Immunosuppressive drugs, Tocilizumab and Sarilumab, also known as IL-6 receptor antagonists, are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and both the drugs are included in the immune modulation treatments.
In November, the report indicating the initial findings showed that Tocilizumab was likely to improve outcomes among critically ill Covid-19 patients. However, there is still confusion regarding its impact on patient’s survival and length of time on organ support in the ICU, which is the timespan a patient can sustain without a ventilator.
Nonetheless, in the latest analysis, Tocilizumab and Sarilumab have shown a significant impact on patient survival resulting in a decreased mortality rate by almost 8.5 per cent. The death rate dropped from 35.8 per cent to 25.3 per cent when patients were given either of the two drugs, the trial results said.
Furthermore, the study stated that patients who received Tocilizumab and Sarilumab were discharged from the ICU about a week or ten days earlier than other patients. The researchers said that the updated study results showed that drugs slashed the time spent by a patient in the ICU from 23 days to 13 days.
Besides, experts said that around 24 per cent of people will be saved by the new treatment, who could otherwise die without any proper medication.
In a press conference at the Downing Street, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tocilizumab and Sarilumab,
the anti-inflammatory drugs that will potentially save thousands would be made available through the NHS with immediate effect.
The new study and statistics have boosted the confidence of experts and people. The pandemic has killed more than 1.87 million people. The pharma companies have also become optimistic that some existing drugs can be repurposed to help treat the Covid-19 patients. The world's first treatment proven to reduce death rate for Covid-19 -- Dexamethasone -- was approved by the UK government in June last year.
