Early Tocilizumab Dosing is Associated with Improved Survival In Critically Ill Patients Infected With Sars-CoV-2

Background SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that has rapidly expanded to become a pandemic, resulting in millions of deaths worldwide. The cytokine storm is caused by the release of inflammatory agents and results in a physiologic disruption. Tocilizumab is an IL-6 receptor antagonist with the ability to suppress the cytokine storm in critically ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods This was a multi-center study of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, admitted between 3/13/20 and 4/16/20, requiring mechanical ventilation. Parameters that were evaluated included age, sex, race, usage of steroids, inflammatory markers, and comorbidities. Early dosing was defined as a tocilizumab dose administered prior to or within one (1) day of intubation. Late dosing was defined as a dose administered greater than one (1) day after intubation. A control group that was treated only with standard of care, and without tocilizumab, was utilized for comparison (untreated). Findings We studied 118 patients who required mechanical ventilation. Eighty-one (81) received tocilizumab, compared to 37 who were untreated. Early tocilizumab therapy was associated with a statistically significant decrease in mortality as compared to patients who were untreated (p=0.003). Dosing tocilizumab late was associated with an increased mortality compared to the untreated group (p=0.006). Interpretation Early tocilizumab administration was associated with decreased mortality in critically ill SARS-Co-V-2 patients, but a potential detriment was suggested by dosing later in a patient’s course. Funding This work did not receive outside funding or sponsorship.