WHO Recommends IL-6 Drugs From Sanofi, Roche For Critically-Ill COVID-19 Patients

The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed Interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonists combined with corticosteroids to treat severe COVID-19 cases.
Patients severely or critically ill with COVID-19 often suffer from an overreaction of the immune system. IL-6 blocking drugs Roche Holding AG's RHHBY Actemra (tocilizumab) and Sanofi SA's SNY Kevzara (sarilumab) act to suppress this overreaction, WHO said.
Severely ill patients who took either drug in addition to corticosteroids saw their risk of death reduced by 13% compared with standard of care, the WHO said, and their risk of progressing to mechanical ventilation by 28%.
The analysis came from 10,930 patients across 28 countries, with about 59% receiving the IL-6 drugs.
"These drugs offer hope for patients and families who are suffering from the devastating impact of severe and critical COVID-19. But IL-6 receptor blockers remain inaccessible and unaffordable for the majority of the world," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.
Tuesday's move comes a few weeks after the FDA authorized Actemra for emergency use in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
The list price of Actemra is about $2,300 per dose, and Kevzara's U.S. list price is approximately $1,830 per dose, reports Wall Street Journal, citing the companies' respective spokespersons.
Price Action: SNY shares are down 0.06% at $51.40, while RHHBY shares are up 0.23% at $47.93 during the market session on the last check Wednesday.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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