A small cohort of patients (n= 10) in a hospital in Italy were given 300 mg Canakinumab (administered subcutaneously) along with 200 mg of hydroxychloroquine (twice daily) and lopinavir-ritonavir (400 mg twice daily of lopinavir and 100 mg twice daily of ritonavir). All patients had bilateral pneumonia and hyperinflammation. Patients experienced no injection site reactions and a reduction in serum C-reactive protein at day 1 and 3. After 45 days, all patients were discharged with physical imitations. A comparison was made retrospectively with a group of 10 patients from a few months prior; however, this was an indirect comparison. 

Outcomes among 10 patients in Italy

The drug Canakinumab is an anti-IL-1β monoclonal antibody and has thus been proposed as a method of blocking the elevated IL-1 signaling.

- Interleukin-1 blockade with high-dose anakinra in patients with COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and hyperinflammation: a retrospective cohort study

Boston University

The IL-1 family of cytokines regulates production of IL-6, and thus may serve as a potential immunomodulatory therapeutic target. Moreover, high levels of IL-1β and its endogenous antagonist, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 Ra) are associated with COVID-19 onset. Several existing drugs that block IL-1 signaling such as Anakinra and Canakinumab have been proposed as drug options for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Blocking IL-1 Signaling

Abdin, S. M., Elgendy, S. M., Alyammahi, S. K., Alhamad, Omar, H. A. (2020). Tackling the cytokine storm in COVID-19, challenges and hopes. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320520308055

Tackling the cytokine storm in COVID-19, challenges and hopes

The drug Anakinra was previously approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Its action was a recombinant form of the IL-1 Ra receptor makes it a potentially valuable target for the treatment of COVID-19 and its associated inflammation.

- Application of Anakinra to Treat Inflammation-Associated Respiratory Failure in COVID-19

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