Publication date: Jul 11, 2023

Fewer patients died when treated with standard care plus either infliximab or abatacept, compared with patients who received standard care plus a placebo. This 4. 1% difference represents 21 fewer deaths among those who received abatacept. For patients treated with infliximab, 52 out of 517 patients had died by day 28 (10. 1% mortality). The researchers evaluated three anti-inflammatory drugsinfliximab, abatacept or cenicrivirocadded to standard care versus standard of care alone, in participants hospitalized with COVID-19. “When used in conjunction with standard of care, these immune modulators did not yield a statistically significant difference in recovery time compared with no use of such medications. Infliximab, known by the trade name Remicade, is used to treat adults with rheumatoid arthritis in combination with methotrexate and adults with chronic severe plaque psoriasis, among other conditions. Powderly said this type of study is crucial for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, as it means that potential options for treatment are continually expanding. However, Powderly said two of the three drug treatments still have clinical importance, especially in terms of one of the study’s key secondary endpoints: mortality.

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