BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Finding immunosuppression sweet spot could be next up for COVID-19 after second IL-6 failure

July 30, 2020 2:05 AM UTC

A Phase III miss for a second IL-6 inhibitor in COVID-19 patients could be the death knell for the drug class in the disease. But the mortality benefit demonstrated by dexamethasone suggests a broader immunosuppressive approach -- rather than targeting that specific cytokine -- may offer a more effective treatment.

Actemra tocilizumab from Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) missed the primary and key secondary endpoints in COVACTA, a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study in hospitalized adults patients with severe COVID-19-associated pneumonia...