Scarcity of a drug central to the treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients inspired researchers at UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health to develop a novel dosing strategy that resulted in more people being treated with smaller doses of a life-saving drug.
Tocilizumab, an immunosuppressive drug originally developed to treat severe forms of inflammatory arthritis, became scarce in early 2021 after it was discovered to be an effective treatment for life-threatening cases of COVID-19. When given to COVID-19 patients, the drug inhibits Interleukin (IL)-6, one of the key molecules behind the COVID-19 cytokine storm syndrome that drives respiratory failure and death.
