Comparison of Anakinra and Tocilizumab in Anticytokine Therapy in the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease-2019

Background: It is known that coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia causes cytokine storm, and treatment modalities are being developed on inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines. We aimed to investigate the effects of anticytokine therapy on clinical improvement and the differences between anticytokine treatments. Methods: A total of 90 patients with positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test were divided into three groups, group I (n = 30) was given anakinra, group II (n = 30) was given tocilizumab, and group III (n = 30) was given standard treatment. Group I was treated with anakinra for 10 days; tocilizumab, intravenously, was given in group II. Group III patients were selected from those who did not receive any anticytokine treatment other than the standard treatment. Laboratory values, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), and PaO2/FiO(2) values were analyzed on days 1, 7, and 14. Results: The seventh-day mortality rates were 6.7% in group II, 23.3% in group I, and 16.7% in group III. In group II, the ferritin levels on the 7th and 14th days were significantly lower (p = 0.004), and the lymphocyte levels on the seventh day were significantly higher (p = 0.018). Examining the changes between the first intubation days, in the early period (seventh day), group I was found to be 21.7%, group II was 26.9%, and group III was 47.6%. Conclusion: We observed the positive effects of the use of tocilizumab on clinical improvement in the early period; mechanical ventilation requirement was delayed and at a lower rate. Anakinra treatment did not change mortality and PaO2/FiO(2) rates. Mechanical ventilation requirements occurred earlier in the patients who were not receiving any anticytokine therapy. Studies with larger patient populations are needed to demonstrate the potential efficacy of anticytokine therapy.