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Updated: Nov 8, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Polyfunctionality and Heterogeneity in Immune Responses
Published on: March 8, 2024
The role of IL-6 and IL-6 blockade in COVID-19
Nicola Potere1, Alberto Batticciotto2, Alessandra Vecchié3
1Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
Introduction:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces a dysregulated hyperinflammatory response.
Areas Covered:
Authors review evidence on IL-6 and IL-6 blockade in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and discuss the pathophysiological and prognostic roles of this cytokine and the clinical impact of pharmacological blockade of IL-6 . The material includes original articles and reviews published from March 2020 to March 2021 and searched on PubMed, medRxiv, and bioRxiv.
Expert Opinion:
IL-6 is one of the most prominent pro-inflammatory cytokines. Increased levels are recorded in COVID-19 patients, especially those with severe-to-critical disease. Evidence is accumulating on the relevance of IL-6 as a prognostic marker in COVID-19. Since IL-6 is a druggable target for several inflammatory diseases, pharmacological blockers of the IL-6 signaling pathway were repurposed to blunt the abnormal SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine release. Data are limited to few randomized controlled trials that reported encouraging, though not conclusive, results, indicating the usefulness of IL-6 blockade early in the course of the disease in patients with hyperinflammation and no or limited organ damage. Further research is warranted to explore the role of IL-6 in different COVID-19 phenotypes and identify subgroups of patients who may mostly benefit from IL-6 pathway inhibition.
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