SynthesisJournal of infection and public health2021
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibitors as therapeutic agents for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of infection and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy of tocilizumab in the treatment of COVID-19: An umbrella review.Reviews in medical virology · 2022Pooled it
- A randomized clinical trial to stimulate the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in patients with moderate COVID-19-pneumonia using a slow-paced breathing technique.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Trial
- Sustained Vascular Inflammatory Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein on Human Endothelial Cells.Inflammation · 2025Article
- Potential applications of components of aged garlic extract in mitigating pro-inflammatory gene expression linked to human diseases (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2025Review
- Correlation between the severity of COVID-19 infection and the presence of oropharyngeal candidiasis: a cross-sectional study in Al-Diwaniyah Hospital, Iraq.The Pan African medical journal · 2025Article
- Therapeutic Impact of Tocilizumab in the Setting of Severe COVID-19; an Updated and Comprehensive Review on Current Evidence.Archives of academic emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Pharmacological Action and Research Progress of Taraxasterol.Current pharmaceutical biotechnology · 2024Review
- Prescription Trends of Biologic DMARDs in Treating Rheumatologic Diseases: Changes of Medication Availability in COVID-19.Journal of personalized 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
- Should We Interfere with the Interleukin-6 Receptor During COVID-19: What Do We Know So Far?Drugs · 2023Review
- [Should we interfere with the interleukin-6 receptor during COVID-19: What do we know?]Revue des maladies respiratoires · 2023Review
- The multifaceted nature of IL-10: regulation, role in immunological homeostasis and its relevance to cancer, COVID-19 and post-COVID conditions.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Drug-induced liver injury following the use of tocilizumab or sarilumab in patients with coronavirus disease 2019.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Article
- Update on the treatment of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19.Future virology · 2022Review
- Different clinical features of children and adults in regional outbreak of Delta COVID-19.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Article
- COVID-19 Sequelae and the Host Proinflammatory Response: An Analysis From the OnCovid Registry.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2022Article
- Respiratory involvement parameters in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and their association with mortality and length of stay.Canadian journal of respiratory therapy : CJRT = Revue canadienne de la therapie respiratoire : RCTR · 2022Article
- Manifestations and Mechanism of SARS-CoV2 Mediated Cardiac Injury.International journal of biological sciences · 2022Review
- The Role of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes in COVID-19 Pathogenesis and Therapy.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Review
- Tocilizumab in critically ill COVID-19 patients: An observational study.International immunopharmacology · 2022Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPreliminary studies showed that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupts body immune system, including dysregulation of cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). IL-6 inhibitors agents have been used as treatment options for COVID-19, yet their benefit as therapeutic agents remains unclear.
objectiveWe performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize the available evidence on the potential therapeutic effect of IL-6 inhibitor agents for the treatment of COVID-19.
methodsTwo authors initially screened and reviewed the relevant studies from available databases. The data extracted will be tabulated and analyzed for the outcomes. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes included discharge from the hospital, length of stay, and requirement for mechanical ventilation. The quality of each study was assessed using OCEBM ratings.
resultsWe reviewed 18 studies with a total of 3303 subjects. Tocilizumab was the most commonly used in the studies (15 studies). Meta-analysis of included studies revealed significant reduction in mortality with tocilizumab and sarilumab (RR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.49-0.76). Other outcomes including hospital discharge (RR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.86-1.24), length of stay (mean difference -1.96 days, 95% CI -4.24 to 0.33) or requirement for mechanical ventilation (RR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.32-1.45) revealed no differences of IL-6 inhibitor agents compared to controls.
conclusionsAvailable evidence suggests that IL-6 inhibitor agents reduce the risk of mortality in COVID-19, especially in severe conditions. Further well-designed trials are needed for assessing its efficacy and safety for COVID-19.
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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.