Tocilizumab in severe COVID-19 - A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: The therapeutic effectiveness of interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor in critically ill hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is uncertain.

Methods: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the outcome as recovery or death of tocilizumab for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial in critically ill COVID-19 adult patients. The patients were randomly assigned in a 4:1 ratio to receive standard medical treatment plus the recommended dose of either tocilizumab or the placebo drug.