The European Medicines Agency (EMA) endorses the use of RoActemra, a medicine used to treating adults with severe coronavirus. The Committee for Human Medicines (CHMP) has recommended extending the indication for RoActemra to include it as a treatment against Covid-19 in adults who are receiving systemic corticosteroid therapy and require supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation.
The drug is already approved in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of inflammatory diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic polyarthritis, giant cell arteritis, and cytokine release syndrome (CRS).
Reduces the risk of death
The study showed that RoActemra treatment given by infusion in addition to standard treatment reduces risk of death compared to standard treatment alone. The safety profile of the drug was favorable in those who were already receiving treatment with corticosteroids and the CHMP concluded that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks for these patients.
RoActemra
It is a medicine that changes the activity of the immune system. The active ingredient is tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody, a type of protein designed to bind to a specific target in the body.
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