Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 22, 2025

Preliminary Study on Acupuncture Combined with Grain-sized Moxibustion for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis with Finger Joint Pain
Published on: May 16, 2025
Pilot prospective open, single-arm multicentre study on off-label use of tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19
Savino Sciascia1, Franco Aprà2, Alessandra Baffa1
1CMID, Centre of Research of Immunopathology and Rare Diseases, Coordinating Centre of the Network for Rare Diseases of Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta, ASL Città di Torino, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Torino, and ASL Città di Torino, Italy.
Objectives:
No agent has yet been proven to be effective for the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19.
Methods:
We conducted a pilot prospective open, single-arm multicentre study on off-label use of tocilizumab (TCZ) involving 63 hospitalised adult patients (56 males, age 62.6±12.5) with severe COVID-19. Clinical and laboratory parameters were prospectively collected at baseline, day 1, 2, 7 and 14. No moderate-to-severe adverse events attributable to TCZ were recorded.
Results:
We observed a significant improvement in the levels of ferritin, C-reactive protein, D-dimer. The ratio of the partial pressure of oxygen (Pa02) to the fraction of inspired oxygen (Fi02) improved (mean±SD Pa02/Fi02 at admission: 152±53; at day 7: 283.73±115.9, at day 14: 302.2±126, p<0.05). The overall mortality was 11%; D-dimer level at baseline, but not IL-6 levels were predictors of mortality. TCZ administration within 6 days from admission in the hospital was associated with an increased likelihood of survival (HR 2.2 95%CI 1.3-6.7, p<0.05).
Conclusions:
In hospitalised adult patients with severe COVID-19, TCZ could be a safe option. An improvement in respiratory and laboratory parameters was observed. Future controlled trials in patients with severe illness are urgently needed to confirm the definite benefit with IL-6 target therapy.
More Related Videos
03:07Single-Port Robotic-assisted Transaxillary Breast-conserving Surgery: A Prospective, Single-arm, Non-randomized Phase IIa Clinical Trial
Published on: August 19, 2025
09:34Dynamic Imaging of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells with [18F]Tetrafluoroborate Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography
Published on: February 17, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Clinical Trials
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...
Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Immunomodulatory Agents
Clinical Trials: Overview
Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Biologic Agents: Anti-TNF
Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Glucocorticoids