Itolizumab is a drug originally used for treating psoriasis that has been recently approved for treating complications in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients in India and Cuba.

Itolizumab is an anti-CD6 humanized monoclonal antibody that suppresses T cell activation and downregulates the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules.

While approval for restricted emergency use of this agent makes a potentially life-saving treatment available for an important subset of COVID patients, the relative paucity of available evidence requires thorough analysis and publication, along with further phase III or real-world investigations.