Anakinra not effective in patients with severe Covid infection: JAMA

Anakinra combined with standard of care (SoC) did not eliminate the requirement for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation or lower mortality risk when compared to SoC alone, says an article published in the Journal of American Medical Association.

Hyperinflammation is frequently linked with COVID-19 pneumonia. Anakinra has not yet been proven to be safe and effective in treating individuals with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation. In order to compare anakinra to standard of therapy on its own for patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and hyperinflammation, Patricia Fanlo and colleagues undertook this study.

Phase 2/3 multicenter, randomized, open-label, 2-group clinical study with a 1-month follow-up was undertaken at 12 hospitals in Spain between May 8, 2020, and March 1, 2021 under the name "Clinical Trial of the Usage of Anakinra in Cytokine Storm Syndrome Due to COVID-19" (ANA-COVID-GEAS). Patients in the adult population who had significant COVID-19 pneumonia and inflammation participated. Interleukin-6 larger than 40 pg/mL, ferritin greater than 500 ng/mL, C-reactive protein greater than 3 mg/dL (rationale, 5 upper normal limit), and/or lactate dehydrogenase greater than 300 U/L were all considered indicators of hyperinflammation. The proportion of patients who did not need mechanical breathing up to 15 days after therapy started, as determined on an intention-to-treat basis, was the main outcome.