Table 1.
Summary of included studies: study characteristics.
| Study | Primary Author, year | Blinding | Intervention drug/dose/route (n) | Comparator (n) | Trial period | Country (no. of sites) | Background COVID-19 Incidence (per 100,000 population) | Background COVID-19 Mortality (per 100,000 population) | Human development index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COVACTA 23 | Rosas, 2020 | Double-blind | Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg, IV (294) | Placebo (144) | 3 April–24 June, 2020 | Canada (3), Denmark (4), France (7), Germany (4), Italy (2), Netherlands (4), Spain (7), UK (7), US (23) | 115.9 | 12.6 | 0.924 |
| RCT-TCZ-COVID-19 12 | Salvarani, 2020 | Open-label | Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg, IV (60) | Standard of care (66) | 31 March–11 June, 2020 | Italy (24) | 115.7 | 17.2 | 0.892 |
| CORIMUNO-TOCI-1 24 | Hermine, 2020 | Open-label | Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg, IV (63) | Standard of care (67) | 31 March–18 April, 2020 | France (9) | 82.4 | 17.6 | 0.901 |
| BACC Bay 25 | Stone, 2020 | Double-blind | Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg, IV (161) | Placebo (82) | 20 April–15 June, 2020 | US (7) | 123.4 | 9.9 | 0.926 |
| EMPACTA 26 | Salama, 2020 | Double-blind | Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg, IV (249) | Placebo (128) | 14 May–30 Sep, 2020 | Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, US (Total n = 69) | 280.7 | 6.6 | 0.926 |
| REMAP-CAP IL-6 | |||||||||
| Tocilizumab 27 | Gordon, 2021 | Open-label | Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg, IV (353) | Standard of care (201) | 19 April–19 Nov, 2020 | UK (98), Netherlands (7), Australia (3), New Zealand (2), Ireland (1), Saudi Arabia (1) | 491.3 | 14.8 | 0.933 |
| REMAP-CAP IL-6 Sarilumab 27 | Gordon, 2021 | Open-label | Sarilumab 400 mg, IV (48) | Standard of care (201) | 19 April–19 Nov, 2020 | UK (98), Netherlands (7), Australia (3), New Zealand (2), Ireland (1), Saudi Arabia (1) | 491.3 | 14.8 | 0.933 |
| TOCIBRAS 11 | Veiga, 2021 | Open-label | Tocilizumab 8 mg/kg, IV (65) | Standard of care (64) | 8 May–17 July, 2020 | Brazil (9) | 244.9 | 6.9 | 0.765 |
| Lescure Sarilumab 200 mg 22 | |||||||||
| Lescure, 2021 | Double-blind | Sarilumab 200 mg, SC (159) | Placebo (42) | 28 March–3 July, 2020 | Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Spain (Total n = 45) | 262.5 | 9.9 | 0.848 | |
| Lescure Sarilumab 400 mg 22 | |||||||||
| Lescure, 2021 | Double-blind | Sarilumab 400 mg, SC (173) | Placebo (42) | 28 March–3 July, 2020 | Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Spain (Total n = 45) | 262.5 | 9.9 | 0.848 | |
| RECOVERY 28 | Horby, 2021 | Open-label | Tocilizumab 400–800 mg IV (2022) | Standard of care (2,094) | 23 April–24 Jan, 2021 | UK (131) | 1114.3 | 24.8 | 0.932 |
| Peking 29 TCZ and Favipiravir | Zhao, 2020 | Open-label | Tocilizumab 4–8 mg/kg, IV with Favipiravir 600–1600 mg, PO (14) | Favipiravir, 600–1600 mg, PO (3.5) | 2 February–15 March, 2020 | China (4) | 3.71 | 0.1 | 0.761 |
| Peking 29 TCZ | Zhao, 2020 | Open-label | Tocilizumab 4–8 mg/kg, IV (5) | Favipiravir 600–1600 mg, PO (3.5) | 2 February–15 March, 2020 | China (4) | 3.71 | 0.1 | 0.761 |
Summary table of studies identified from a systematic search for RCTs in adults with COVID-19, comparing IL-6 inhibitors (tocilizumab or sarilumab) with standard of care, placebo or alternative treatments. Country-level peak 14-day COVID-19 incidence (per 100,000 population) and mortality rates (per 100,000 population) are shown for countries included within each study over the study time window (data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control). TCZ: tocilizumab; IV: intravenous; SC: subcutaneous; PO: oral.