Anakinra in the Management of COVID-19 Infection

Efficacy of Anakinra in the Management of Patients With COVID-19 Infection in Qatar: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first isolated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It is rapidly spreading worldwide, posing a severe threat to global health. Many therapeutics have been investigated for the treatment of this disease with inconclusive outcomes.

Anakinra - an interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist - had showed survival benefits in patients with macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and sepsis and was investigated for the use in COVID-19 infection with promising outcomes.

Inclusion criteria:

• Hospitalized adult (age ≥ 18yrs)
• Confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis
• Presence of respiratory distress in addition to signs of cytokine release syndrome
• Radiological evidence of pneumonia
• Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known allergic reactions to the study medication or any component of the product.
• Active bacterial, viral, TB, fungal infectious diseases
• Received immunosuppressant or immunomodulatory in the past 30 days
• Neutrophil count < 500 cells/microliter
• Platelets < 50,000/microliter
• Pregnant or breastfeeding females