WHO Says Certain Arthritis Drugs Can Be ‘Life-Saving’ Against Severe COVID-19

Prevention Magazine interviewed Manoj J. Mammen, MD, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, about two arthritis drugs — tocilizumab and sarilumab — that are being recommended by the World Health Organization for use on critically ill COVID-19 patients. The drugs have worked well on severe cases, but are not as effective on mild COVID cases. “There is less evidence that there is an abundance of interleukin-6 activity with less severe cases of COVID-19, and so it seems less likely it would be helpful,” as the initial inflammatory response would not be as high,” said Mammen. The article was also published in other media outlets.