A Narrative Review on the Effectiveness of Tocilizumab in Reducing the Mortality Risk in COVID-19 Patients
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Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached its pandemic scale within a short period of its first case reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019, leading to a great economic crisis all over the world. As of today, there is no clinically approved antiviral drug available for the treatment of COVID-19. Tocilizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor, clinically approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, is one such drug used to manage the COVID-19 symptoms. The current study reviews the effectiveness of Tocilizumab as a treatment option for COVID-19. Research findings on Tocilizumab are effective in COVID-19 patients with the risk of cytokine storm and further complications. Nevertheless, this review also recommends further investigation on the effectiveness of this drug with a large group of patients for more accuracy in results with COVID 19 patients.
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