ArticleMedical hypotheses2020
Rethinking interleukin-6 blockade for treatment of COVID-19.
Article in Medical hypotheses, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05212532 (A Proof-of-Concept Study Evaluating Safety, Tolerability, and Preliminary Efficacy of EOM613 in COVID-19 Infected Patients With Severe Symptoms), which is not on this map. Cited by 26 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Proof-of-Concept Study Evaluating Safety, Tolerability, and Preliminary Efficacy of EOM613 in COVID-19 Infected Patients With Severe Symptoms
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- From IL-6 production to IL-6R buffering: a unified IL-6-IL-6R framework for immune homeostasis during viral infection.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Risk factors for thrombosis in tuberculosis patients admitted to a tuberculosis-dedicated intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Multi-omic spatial profiling reveals the unique SARS-CoV-2 lung microenvironment and collagen VI as a predictive biomarker in severe COVID-19.The European respiratory journal · 2025Article
- Protein Interaction Analysis and Molecular Simulation of the Anti-Inflammatory Activities inInternational journal of inflammation · 2024Article
- Exercise preconditioning and resveratrol reduce the susceptibility of rats with obstructive jaundice to endotoxin and alleviate lung injury.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Incorporation of a Toll-like receptor 2/6 agonist potentiates mRNA vaccines against cancer and infectious diseases.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2023Article
- Prediction of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Postsurgical Outcome Using Biomaterial-Induced Blood Cytokine Levels: Machine Learning Approach.JMIR perioperative medicine · 2023Article
- A Prospective Cohort Study of COVID-19: Evaluation of the Early Role of IL-1 and IL-6 Antagonists in Improving the Outcome of the Illness and Reduction in the Risk of Death.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Unveiling COVID-19 Secrets: Harnessing Cytokines as Powerful Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Predicting Severity.Journal of inflammation research · 2023Article
- Article
- The Impacts of COVID-19 on Musculoskeletal Health.Current osteoporosis reports · 2022Review
- Dysregulated Immune Responses in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients: A Comprehensive Overview.Viruses · 2022Review
- Modulation of Covid-19 cytokine storm by tocilizumab.Journal of medical virology · 2022Article
- Chasing the Ghost: Hyperinflammation Does Not Cause Sepsis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Soluble Immune Checkpoints Are Dysregulated in COVID-19 and Heavy Alcohol Users With HIV Infection.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- An Overview of the Pathogenesis, Transmission, Diagnosis, and Management of Endemic Human Coronaviruses: A Reflection on the Past and Present Episodes and Possible Future Outbreaks.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Excessive Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 and Hyperactivation of Endothelial Cells Occurred in COVID-19 Patients and Were Associated With the Severity of COVID-19.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2021Article
- Cytokines and Chemokines in SARS-CoV-2 Infections-Therapeutic Strategies Targeting Cytokine Storm.Biomolecules · 2021Review
- Potential role of interferons in treating COVID-19 patients.International immunopharmacology · 2021Review
- The Looming Effects of Estrogen in Covid-19: A Rocky Rollout.Frontiers in nutrition · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine with effects in immune regulation, inflammation, and infection. The use of drugs that inhibit IL-6 biological activity has been proposed as a treatment for patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The rationale for this approach includes commitment to the concept that inflammation is a cause of lung damage in COVID-19 and belief that IL-6 is a pro-inflammatory molecule. Observational data thought to support IL-6 inhibition include elevated circulating IL-6 levels in COVID-19 patients and association between elevated IL-6 and poor clinical outcomes. However, IL-6 has significant anti-inflammatory properties, which calls into question the rationale for employing IL-6 blockade to suppress inflammation-induced tissue injury. Also, studies suggesting a beneficial role for IL-6 in the host response to infection challenge the strategy of using IL-6 blockade to treat COVID-19. In studies of recombinant IL-6 injected into human volunteers, IL-6 levels exceeding those measured in COVID-19 patients have been observed with no pulmonary adverse events or other organ damage. These observations question the role of IL-6 as a contributing factor in COVID-19. Clinical experience with IL-6 receptor antagonists such as tocilizumab demonstrates increase in severe and opportunistic infections, raising concern about using tocilizumab and similar agents to treat COVID-19. Trials of drugs to inhibit IL-6 activity in COVID-19 are ongoing and will shed light on the role of IL-6 in COVID-19 pathogenesis. However, until more information is available, providers should exercise caution in prescribing these therapies given the potential for patient harm.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.