Mortality was assessed by the number of participants who died between days 1 and 28. A summary of death details was given which included whether the participant died between days 1 and 28, whether the death was related sepsis, cause of death, the source of the information, and whether the cause of death was verified by a death record. Participants who had withdrawn from study and all study assessments and for whom survival at day 28 could not be confirmed was treated as deaths for the primary endpoint. The difference in all-cause 28-day mortality rates for each treatment group versus the placebo group in the ITT Population was calculated as placebo - treatment.

ITT Population was defined as all randomized participants from all three stages who receive any study drug.

The new onset organ failure was defined as first time each of the following criteria were met after start of study medication up to Day 28. Respiratory failure: defined by requiring mechanical ventilation not less than 24 hours due to surgery. Renal failure: defined by requiring the initiation of hemodialysis or hemofiltration. Coagulopathy: defined by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) requiring transfusion with platelets or fresh frozen plasma or anticoagulant therapy. Cardiovascular failure: defined by sustained hypotension requiring vasopressor support of dopamine >5 microgram per kilogram per minute (µg/kg/min), epinephrine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine or vasopressin at any dose if used to increase blood pressure for >=6 continuous h. Analysis was done treating the death as a new onset organ failure (counted in both the numerator and denominator).

ITT Population. Organ failure occurring during the 28 days post-enrollment that was not in failure at enrollment. Subjects who die prior to observing a new organ failure are counted as a failure.

Respiratory failure: defined by requiring mechanical ventilation not less than 24 hours due to surgery. Renal failure: defined by requiring the initiation of hemodialysis or hemofiltration. Coagulopathy: defined by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) requiring transfusion with platelets or fresh frozen plasma or anticoagulant therapy. Cardiovascular failure: defined by sustained hypotension requiring vasopressor support of dopamine >5 microgram per kilogram per minute (µg/kg/min), epinephrine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine or vasopressin at any dose if used to increase blood pressure for >=6 continuous h. For each organ failure type and the number of new onset organ failures per participants for each organ failure type, the denominator only included participants who did not have that type of organ failure at Baseline. At Baseline a participant could enter the study with a type of organ failure, that type of failure was not reported as a new onset organ failure.

ITT Population. Organ failure occurring during the 28 days post-enrollment that was not in failure at enrollment. Participants who died prior to observing a new failure are excluded from analysis.

An AE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant, temporally associated with the use of a medicinal product, whether or not considered related to the medicinal product. An SAE is defined as any untoward medical occurrence that, at any dose, results in death, is life-threatening, requires hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, results in disability/incapacity, or is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, may jeopardize the participant or may require medical or surgical intervention to prevent one of the other outcomes listed in this definition or common toxicity criteria (CTC) grade 4 laboratory abnormalities of national cancer institute not associated with the underlying sepsis unless more severe than expected for the participants condition.

ITT Population.