ArticleInfection2023
Tocilizumab vs. baricitinib in hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients: results from a real-world cohort.
Article in Infection, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of tocilizumab and baricitinib among patients hospitalized for COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Risk Factors for Liver Injury and Their Association with Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) · 2025Article
- Differential risk of adverse drug reactions with baricitinib across age groups: integrating real-world pharmacovigilance and genetic causal inference.Therapeutic advances in drug safety · 2025Article
- Clinical Outcomes among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Who Received Baricitinib or Tocilizumab in Addition to Standard of Care.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Comparison of Tocilizumab vs Baricitinib in Clinical Outcomes Among Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: Experience From a Public Hospital System in New York City.Open forum infectious diseases · 2023Article
- The effects of combination-therapy of tocilizumab and baricitinib on the management of severe COVID-19 cases: a randomized open-label clinical trial.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Baricitinib vs tocilizumab treatment for hospitalized adult patients with severe COVID-19 and associated cytokine storm: a prospective, investigational, real-world study.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
17 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTocilizumab and baricitinib are recommended treatment options for hospitalized COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen support. Literature about its efficacy and safety in a head-to-head comparison is scarce.
methodsHospitalized COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen were treated with tocilizumab or baricitinib additionally to dexamethasone. Tocilizumab was available from February till the 19th of September 2021 and baricitinib from 21st of September. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcome parameters were progression to mechanical ventilation (MV), length-of-stay (LOS) and potential side effects.
results159 patients (tocilizumab 68, baricitinib 91) with a mean age of 60.5 years, 64% male were included in the study. Tocilizumab patients were admitted 1 day earlier, were in a higher WHO category at the time of inclusion and had a higher CRP level on admission and treatment initiation. Patients receiving Tocilizumab were treated with remdesivir more often and only patients in the baricitinib group were treated with monoclonal antibodies. Other characteristics did not differ significantly. In-hospital mortality (18% vs. 11%, p = 0.229), progression to MV (19% vs. 11%, p = 0.173) and LOS (13 vs. 12 days, p = 0.114) did not differ between groups. Side effects were equally distributed between groups, except ALAT elevation which was significantly more often observed in the tocilizumab group (43% vs. 25%, p = 0.021).
conclusionsIn-hospital mortality, progression to MV and LOS were not significantly different in patients treated with tocilizumab or baricitinib additionally to standard of care. Both drugs seem equally effective but further head-to-head trials are needed.
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