Tocilizumab

Following the recent approvals of nintedanib and tocilizumab for systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease, providers should manage the disease based on severity, progression risk and extrapulmonary activity, noted researchers.

This week, the FDA issues an EUA for tocilizumab in COVID-19; an electronic tool detects ovarian and pancreatic cancers; the delta variant accounts for 20% of new COVID-19 cases; and more.

The FDA authorized the emergency use of tocilizumab for certain hospitalized patients with COVID-19. This marks the fourth monoclonal antibody authorized during the pandemic.

Tocilizumab plus prednisone was linked to a sixfold reduced risk for treatment failure in patients with giant cell arteritis, with highest risks reported among women and patients treated with prednisone monotherapy, according to data.

The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for tocilizumab to treat hospitalized patients receiving corticosteroids who require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, according to a press release.

The economic and societal impacts of emerging infectious diseases remain ever present, with COVID-19 being at the forefront.

Biologic infusions administered at home are associated with a 25% increased risk for hospital admission the same or next day, and a 28% higher risk for permanent discontinuation, compared with facility-given infusions, according to data.

This week, the CDC reported that breakthrough infections are rare among the first 101 million fully vaccinated people; tai chi is found to be effective to reduce belly fat in older adults; the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine safety group says its reviewed ‘few’ reports of myocarditis in young people; a follow-up analysis supports tocilizumab in moderate-to-severe COVID-19-associated pneumonia; and lidocaine throat spray reduces cough frequency in patients with refractory chronic cough.

Not everyone can agree on what to call thyroid eye disease.

In this video, Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE, professor of dermatology and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, spoke with Healio about COVID-19 treatment options available to patients with psoriasis.