Tocilizumab is an effective treatment for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pneumonia and related inflammation. Given limited global supplies, clarification of the optimal tocilizumab dose is critical. We conducted an open-label, randomized, controlled trial evaluating two different dose levels of tocilizumab in Covid-19 (40mg and 120mg). Randomization was stratified on remdesivir and corticosteroid at enrollment. The primary outcome was the time to recovery. The key secondary outcome was 28-day mortality.
COVID-19's high mortality may be driven by hyperinflammation. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) axis therapies may reduce COVID-19 mortality. Retrospective analyses of tocilizumab in severe to critical COVID-19 patients have demonstrated survival advantage and lower likelihood of requiring invasive ventilation following tocilizumab administration. The majority of patients have rapid resolution (i.e., within 24-72 hours following administration) of both clinical and biochemical signs (fever and CRP, respectively) of hyperinflammation with only a single tocilizumab dose. The investigators hypothesized that a dose of tocilizumab significantly lower than the EMA- and FDA-labeled dose (8mg/kg) as well as the emerging standard of care dose (400mg) may be effective in patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis and hyperinflammation. Advantages to the lower dose of tocilizumab may include lower likelihood of secondary bacterial infections as well as extension of this drug's limited supply. The investigators conducted an adaptive single-arm phase 2 trial (NCT04331795) evaluating clinical and biochemical response to low-dose tocilizumab in patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis and hyperinflammation. This multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled phase 2 trial -- designed as two sub-studies to allow for the possible emergence of data demonstrating the clinical efficacy of tocilizumab 8mg/kg or 400mg -- formally tests the clinical efficacy of low-dose tocilizumab in COVID-19 pneumonia. Sub-Study A Primary Objective A: To establish whether low-dose tocilizumab reduces the time to clinical recovery in patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis and hyperinflammation, when compared to a tocilizumab-free standard of care. Hypothesis A: The investigators hypothesize that low-dose tocilizumab, when compared to a tocilizumab-free standard of care, decreases the time to recovery in hospitalized, non-invasively ventilated patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis and hyperinflammation by three days or more. Sub-Study B Primary Objective B: To establish whether low-dose tocilizumab is near-equivalent to high-dose tocilizumab (400mg or 8 mg/kg) in reducing the time to clinical recovery in patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis and hyperinflammation. Hypothesis B: The investigators hypothesize that low-dose tocilizumab is near-equivalent to high-dose tocilizumab in reducing the time to clinical recovery in hospitalized, non-invasively ventilated patients with COVID-19 pneumonitis and hyperinflammation.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
85
Tocilizumab 40mg
Tocilizumab 120mg
Tocilizumab-Free Standard of Care
University of Chicago Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Time to Recovery
Day of recovery is defined as the first day on which the patient achieves one of the following two categories from the seven-point ordinal scale: 6) Hospitalized, not requiring supplemental oxygen or ongoing medical care or 7) Not hospitalized. Time to recovery is the number of days from randomization to achievement of this status. Note that the ordinal scale is measured once daily, with the patient's worst clinical status during the 24-hour time period (0:00-23:59) being documented.
Time frame: 28 days
Achievement of Recovery
This will be defined as the percentage of patients in a given arm of the study achieving one of the above two categories on the ordinal scale on day 7. Note that the ordinal scale is measured once daily, with the patient's worst clinical status during the 24-hour time period (0:00-23:59) being documented.
Time frame: 7 days
Overall Survival
This will be defined as the percentage of patients in a given arm of the study who are alive thirty days following randomization. Patients who are discharged to hospice will be counted as deceased on the day of discharge. Patients who are transitioned to inpatient hospice or inpatient comfort measures only will be counted as deceased on the day of transition.
Time frame: 28 days
Hospital Length of Stay
This will be defined as the number of days that pass between the day of a patient's randomization and his or her discharge from the hospital.
Time frame: Up to 1 year
Clinical Response: Maximum Temperature (Tmax) Response
Maximum temperature within 24-hour periods of time immediately prior to, immediately following, and then every 24 hours thereafter randomization. The primary endpoint is a measured Tmax in the 24-hour period immediately following randomization that is lower than the measured Tmax in the 24-hour period immediately preceding randomization.
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Tocilizumab 400mg or 8mg/kg
Time frame: 24 hours
Clinical Response: Rate of Non-Elective Invasive Mechanical Ventilation
This will be a binary outcome defined as worsening COVID-19 disease resulting in the use of invasive mechanical ventilation during the course of the patient's COVID-19 infection.
Time frame: Up to 28 days
Clinical Response: Duration of Non-Elective Invasive Mechanical Ventilation
This will be a continuous outcome defined by the amount of time between initiation and cessation of non-elective invasive mechanical ventilation.
Time frame: Up to 28 days
Clinical Response: Time to Non-Elective Invasive Mechanical Ventilation
This will be a continuous outcome defined by the amount of time between randomization and the initiation of non-elective invasive mechanical ventilation. This will be treated as a time-to-event with possible censoring.
Time frame: Up to 28 days
Clinical Response: Rate of Vasopressor/Inotrope Utilization
This will be a binary outcome defined as utilization of any vasopressor or inotropic medication.
Time frame: Up to 28 days
Clinical Response: Duration of Vasopressor/Inotrope Utilization
This will be a continuous outcome defined by the amount of time between initiation of first and cessation of last vasopressor medications.
Time frame: Up to 28 days
Clinical Response: Time to Vasopressor/Inotrope Utilization
This will be a continuous outcome defined by the amount of time between randomization and the initiation of any vasopressor or inotropic medication. This will be treated as a time-to-event with possible censoring.
Time frame: Up to 28 days
Clinical Response: Duration of Increased Supplemental Oxygen From Baseline
This will be an ordinal outcome defined by the number of days counted from randomization over which the participant requires supplemental oxygen in excess over his/her baseline supplemental oxygen requirement. The supplemental oxygen requirement is defined as the highest liters-per-minute flow of supplemental oxygen required by the patient each day over the course of the hospitalization.
Time frame: 28 days
Biochemical Response: C-reactive Protein Response Rate
This will be a binary outcome defined as the presence or absence of a decline in CRP of ≥ 25% from baseline CRP in the 27 +/- 3 hours after tocilizumab administration, as compared to pre-treatment baseline.
Time frame: 24 hours
Safety: Rate of Secondary Infection
This will be defined as the percentage of patients in a study arm who develop serious non-COVID-19 viral, bacterial, or fungal infections (e.g., bloodstream infection, hospital-acquired pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, opportunistic infection) following randomization and up to the 28-day assessment of overall survival.
Time frame: 28 days