Tocilizumab: A promising treatment for COVID-19 patients

Abstract

A novel Coronavirus was identified in China as SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019 and was later declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization [1]. In most patients, COVID-19 presents with mild or moderate symptoms such as fever, cough, fatigue, and myalgia. However, around 10% of patients develop more severe symptoms such as pneumonia and multiorgan failure, which can result in death [1-2]. Until vaccines are widely available, the only way to reduce fatality rates is to treat affected patients with existing drugs and therapy options.