Higher Survival Rate Associated with Thymosin Alpha 1 use in Critical COVID-19: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study

Background: Currently no satisfactory pharmaceutical intervention is available for COVID-19. This retrospective study aimed to determine the therapeutic effect of thymosin alpha1 in critical COVID-19. Results: We enrolled 109 critically ill severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 RNA positive patients from 15 hospitals. The mortality rate in critical patients treated with thymosin alpha1 was 11%, compared to 56% in critical patients not treated with thymosin alpha1. With confounding factors adjusted in multivariate logistic regression, thymosin alpha1 treatment was identified as a protective factor for critical COVID-19. Conclusion: Our observation advocates the treatment of critical COVID-19 with thymosin alpha1.