Severely ill coronavirus patients were less likely to die and less likely to need life support after just two doses of arthritis drug, new study finds
- Half of 129 severely ill coronavirus patients received two injections of tocilizumab, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis
- Those given the shots were less likely to be put on life support and less likely to die than those given a placebo
- Researchers believe it mitigates cytokine storms, which occur when the body doesn’t just fight off the virus but also attacks its own cells and tissues
- The study is being submitted to a peer-reviewed journal but researchers said they shared early results because the drug showed a clear ‘clinical benefit’
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A rheumatoid arthritis drug may help treat severely ill coronavirus patients, early results of a new study find.
Tocilizumab, sold under the brand names RoAcemtra and Actemra, typically sells for about $870 a dose.
Patients given injections of the drug were less likely to be put on life support and less likely to die than those given a placebo.
With no approved treatments specifically for the virus, there is a pressing need to test both existing medicines and 
experimental therapies to stop the disease – that has killed more than 61,000 Americans – in its tracks.
This article was originally viewed on MailOnline.
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COVID-19 articles sourced from various authors.
