Table 1 Study characteristics and demographics of included severely ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients
From: Efficacy of tocilizumab treatment in severely ill COVID-19 patients
Article | Study design | Country | Total patients | Mean/median age (years) | Standard care | Tocilizumab treatment | Patients category | Primary outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Campochiaro C Eur J Intern Med 2020 | Single-center retrospective cohort study | Italy | 65 | 60 (control) 64 (tocilizumab) | Hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, ceftriaxone, azithromycin | First intravenous 400 mg, second 400 mg was administered due to progressive respiratory worsening | Severe COVID-19 patients with hyper-inflammatory features admitted outside ICU requiring NIV and/or high-flow supplemental O2 | Safety, efficacy |
Capra R Eur J Intern Med 2020 | Retrospective observational study | Italy | 85 | 70 (control) 63 (tocilizumab) | Hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir | Tocilizumab once within 4 days | COVID-19-related pneumonia and respiratory failure, not needing mechanical ventilation | Survival rate |
Colaneri M Microorganisms 2020 | Retrospective case-control study | Italy | 112 | 64 (control) 62 (tocilizumab) | Hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, low weight heparin, methylprednisolone | First administration was 8 mg/kg (up to a maximum 800 mg per dose) intravenously, repeated after 12 h | Critically ill patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia | Admission to the ICU and 7-day mortality rate |
Gokhale Y EClinicalMedicine 2020 | Retrospective cohort study | India | 161 | 55 (control) 52 (tocilizumab) | Antibiotics, hydroxychloroquine oseltamivir, low molecular weight heparin, methylprednisolone | A single intravenous dose of 400 mg | COVID-19 with oxygen saturation of 94% or less despite giving supplemental oxygen of 15 L/min via non-rebreathing mask or PaO2/FiO2 ratio of less than 200 | Death |
Guaraldi G Lancet Rheumatol 2020 | Retrospective observational cohort study | Italy | 544 | 69 (control) 64 (tocilizumab) | Oxygen supply to target SaO2 reaching at least 90%, hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin at the physician’s discretion when suspecting a bacterial respiratory super-infection, lopinavir–ritonavir or darunavir–cobicistat, low molecular weight heparin | Intravenous tocilizumab was administered at 8 mg/kg bodyweight (up to a maximum of 800 mg) administered twice, 12 h apart; the subcutaneous formulation was used when there was a shortage of the intravenous formulation, at a dose of 162 mg administered in two simultaneous doses, one in each thigh | Severe pneumonia defined at least one of the following: presence of a respiratory rate of 30 or more breaths per minute, peripheral blood SaO2 of less than 93% in room air, a ratio of PaO2 to FiO2 of less than 300 mmHg in room air, and lung infiltrates of more than 50% within 24–48 h, according to Chinese management guidelines for COVID-19 | Death or invasive mechanical ventilation |
Klopfenstein T Med Mal Infect 2020 | Retrospective case-control study | France | 45 | 71 (control) 77 (tocilizumab) | Hydroxychloroquine or lopinavir-ritonavir, antibiotics, less commonly corticosteroids | 1 or 2 doses (no detail was reported) | All critically COVID-19 patients in tocilizumab group, fewer critically ill patients in control | Death and/or ICU admissions |
Moreno-Pérez O J Autoimmun 2020 | Retrospective cohort study | Spain | 236 | 57 (control) 62 (tocilizumab) | No detail was reported | Initial 600 mg, with a second or third dose (400 mg) in case of persistent or progressive disease | Severe COVID-19 pneumonia | All-cause mortality |
Potere N Ann Rheum Dis 2020 | Retrospective case–control study | Italy | 80 | 54 (control) 56 (tocilizumab) | Hydroxychloroquine, darunavir/cobicistat, lopinavir/ritonavir, systemic corticosteroid | 324 mg given as two concomitant subcutaneous injections | Severe COVID-19 pneumonia with hypoxemia (oxygen saturation < 90% on room air) requiring supplemental oxygen through nasal cannulas or mask | Requirement of IMV or death |
Rojas-Marte GR QJM: An International Journal of Medicine 2020 | Retrospective, case–control, single-center study | USA | 193 | 62 (control) 59 (tocilizumab) | Hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, corticosteroids anticoagulation, remdesivir, antibiotics for suspected bacterial infections, vasopressors | No detail was reported | Adult patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 | Overall mortality rate |
Somers EC Clin Infect Dis 2020 | Randomized controlled trial | USA | 154 | 60 (control) 55 (tocilizumab) | Hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, NSAIDs, ACEI/ARB, vasopressors, anticoagulation corticosteroid | The standard tocilizumab dose was 8 mg/kg (maximum 800 mg) × 1, additional doses were discouraged | Severe COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation | Survival probability after intubation |