Critically ill Covid-19 patients to receive new potentially life-saving drugs
- by Valerie Santiago
- in Medical
- — Jan 11, 2021
Two more life-saving drugs have been found that can cut deaths by a quarter in patients who are sickest with Covid.
Hospital mortality was reported as 27.3% among patients receiving IL-6 receptor agonists (28.0% for tocilizumab, 22.2% for sarilumab) compared with 35.8% for control group.
Critically ill Covid-19 patients admitted to intensive care units across the United Kingdom will be able to receive new drugs that can "significantly" reduce the risk of death as well as time spent in hospital by up to 10 days.
The new results, which have not yet been peer-reviewed, come from a clinical trial called Remap-Cap (the community-acquired pneumonia randomized, embedded, multifactorial, adaptive platform), involving more than 3,900 Covid patients in 15 countries around the world.
More news: Miya Ponsetto arrested in California; SoHo Karen tries to hurt a copThey improved recovery and survival in critically ill Covid-19 patients with organ support in ICU.
"Our analysis indicates that most patients continue to live with at least some of the effects of the virus after leaving the hospital, and highlights a need for post-discharge care", Dr. Bin Cao, an author of the study and vice-director of the Center for Respiratory Diseases at China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, said in a statement.
The latest study reveals how researchers randomised adult Covid patients to receiving standard care, or an intravenous infusion of tocilizumab or sarilumab, within 24 hours of being put on organ support in intensive care. The results show the drugs could reduce the time that patients spend in intensive care by up to 10 days.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "The UK has proven time and time again it is at the very forefront of identifying and providing the most promising, innovative treatments for its patients".
More news: Samsung Galaxy A52 5G gains regulatory approval"We have worked quickly to ensure this treatment is available to NHS patients without delay, meaning hundreds of lives will be saved".
The drugs, which are typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, are named as is common for other similar medications.
However, lead researcher of the REMAP CAP study Professor Anthony Gordon commented: "For every 12 patients you treat with these drugs you would expect to save a life".
But an official briefing has warned hospitals in London are on the verge of being overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases even under the "best case" scenario, leaving the capital short of almost 2,000 general and acute and intensive care beds by 19 January.
More news: Nintendo 'laughed' at Microsoft over takeover proposalDr Lennie Derde, intensive care consultant and European coordinating investigator of the Remap-Cap trial, said the global nature of the trial was important, given the worldwide impact of the pandemic. The data shows that tocilizumab, and likely sarilumab, speed up and improve the odds of recovery in intensive care, which is crucial for helping to relieve pressure on intensive care and hospitals and saving lives, said England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.
