Tocilizumab measurements help to optimally dose COVID-19 ICU patients

Dr. Dirk Jan Moes and his colleagues at LUMC published the results of an observational PK/PD study to assure optimal dosing of tocilizumab in ICU admitted COVID-19 patients in the Lancet, which Sanquin supported by measuring serum drug levels. This led to the development of a population pharmacokinetic model which provides evidence to support a fixed dose of 600 mg tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients.

Tocilizumab is an IL-6 inhibitor which is normally used in inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. During the COVID-19 epidemic this biologic is applied to prevents the massive immune response in the airways of COVID19 patients.

This study suggests that more cost saving regimens with even lower doses are likely to be as effective as the current 8 mg/kg dose recommendation. Dirk Jan Moes presented this work already at IATDMCT. Also read the full manuscript.