TY - JOUR T1 - Outcomes and biomarker analyses among patients with COVID-19 treated with interleukin 6 (IL-6) receptor antagonist sarilumab at a single institution in Italy JF - Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer JO - J Immunother Cancer DO - 10.1136/jitc-2020-001089 VL - 8 IS - 2 SP - e001089 AU - Vincenzo Montesarchio AU - Roberto Parrella AU - Chiara Iommelli AU - Antonella Bianco AU - Elio Manzillo AU - Fiorentino Fraganza AU - Cristiana Palumbo AU - Gaetano Rea AU - Patrizia Murino AU - Rosanna De Rosa AU - Luigi Atripaldi AU - Maurizio D’Abbraccio AU - Marcello Curvietto AU - Domenico Mallardo AU - Egidio Celentano AU - Antonio Maria Grimaldi AU - Marco Palla AU - Claudia Trojaniello AU - Maria Grazia Vitale AU - Samuel Lewis Million-Weaver AU - Paolo Antonio Ascierto Y1 - 2020/08/01 UR - http://jitc.bmj.com/content/8/2/e001089.abstract N2 - Background The inflammatory pathology observed in severe COVID-19 disease caused by the 2019 novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is characterized by elevated serum levels of C reactive protein (CRP) and cytokines, including interferon gamma, interleukin 8 (IL-8), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Initial reports from the outbreak in Italy, China and the USA have provided anecdotal evidence of improved outcomes with the administration of anti-IL-6 agents, and large-scale trials evaluating these therapies are ongoing.Study description In this retrospective case series, clinical outcomes and correlates of response to treatment with the IL-6 receptor antagonist sarilumab are described for 15 patients with COVID-19 from a single institution in Southern Italy. Among 10 patients whose symptoms improved after sarilumab treatment, rapid decreases in CRP levels corresponded with clinical improvement. Lower levels of IL-6 at baseline as well as lower neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as compared with patients whose COVID-19 did not improve with treatment were associated with sarilumab-responsive disease.Conclusions This observation may reflect a possible clinical benefit regarding early intervention with IL-6-modulatory therapies for COVID-19 and that CRP could be a potential biomarker of response to treatment. ER -