Arthritis Drug in Clinical Trial for Potentially Treating COVID-19 Related Pneumonia

Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA, USA) have joined a study for testing the efficacy of sarilumab, a drug already approved by the FDA to treat arthritis, in reducing inflammation in the lungs in patients with coronavirus-related pneumonia.

According to the researchers, the severe hypoxemia seen in the later phase of COVID-19 pneumonia in some patients is related not to the virus itself but more to an overwhelming inflammatory response (hyper-inflammation). Stopping excessive inflammation could blunt the effects of COVID-19 related pneumonia. Sarilumab works to block interleukin-6, which signals the body’s immune system to create the excess inflammation seen in sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis. Doctors hope it will do the same for patients whose severe COVID-19 has led to uncontrolled inflammation in the lungs.


The clinical trial to test sarilumab is currently underway at more than 60 sites, with many of the trial sites in New York and New Jersey where the drug’s sponsors, Regeneron and Sanofi, are based. To qualify for the sarilumab study, patients must be hospitalized in the intensive care unit with severe COVID-19 and pneumonia and must require the help of ventilators or other high-flow oxygen support. Results from the multicenter study are expected in June.

“Finding interventions that treat COVID-19, a disease without any approved treatment, and its additional symptoms has been a challenge facing researchers globally,” said Marjolein de Wit, M.D., the study’s principal investigator and a pulmonary and critical care physician at VCU Health. “These clinical trials are intended to evaluate whether this drug is safe and effective against hyper-inflammation — also called cytokine storm — in pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome related to COVID-19. We are proud to be testing this drug for its safety and efficacy to determine if it could be useful for treating patients in the future.”

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