Project description:BackgroundIn a recent study, autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) were present in at least 10% of cases of critical COVID-19 pneumonia. These autoantibodies neutralized most type I IFNs but rarely IFN-beta.ObjectivesWe aimed to define the prevalence of autoantibodies neutralizing type I IFN in a cohort of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia treated with IFN-beta-1b during hospitalization and to analyze their impact on various clinical variables and outcomes.MethodsWe analyzed stored serum/plasma samples and clinical data of COVID-19 patients treated subcutaneously with IFN-beta-1b from March to May 2020, at the Infanta Leonor University Hospital in Madrid, Spain.ResultsThe cohort comprised 47 COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia, 16 of whom (34%) had a critical progression requiring ICU admission. The median age was 71 years, with 28 men (58.6%). Type I IFN-alpha- and omega-neutralizing autoantibodies were found in 5 of 47 patients with severe pneumonia or critical disease (10.6%), while they were not found in any of the 118 asymptomatic controls (p = 0.0016). The autoantibodies did not neutralize IFN-beta. No demographic, comorbidity, or clinical differences were seen between individuals with or without autoantibodies. We found a significant correlation between the presence of neutralizing autoantibodies and higher C-reactive protein levels (p = 5.10e-03) and lower lymphocyte counts (p = 1.80e-02). No significant association with response to IFN-beta-1b therapy (p = 0.34) was found. Survival analysis suggested that neutralizing autoantibodies may increase the risk of death (4/5, 80% vs 12/42, 28.5%).ConclusionAutoantibodies neutralizing type I IFN underlie severe/critical COVID-19 stages in at least 10% of cases, correlate with increased C-RP and lower lymphocyte counts, and confer a trend towards increased risk of death. Subcutaneous IFN-beta treatment of hospitalized patients did not seem to improve clinical outcome. Studies of earlier, ambulatory IFN-beta treatment are warranted.
Project description:Purpose Autoantibodies (aAbs) to type I interferons (IFNs) have been found in <1% of individuals under the age of 60 in the general population, with the prevalence increasing among those over 65. Neutralizing autoantibodies (naAbs) to type I IFNs have been found in at least 15% of patients with life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in several cohorts of primarily European descent. We aimed to define the prevalence of aAbs to IFN-α2 in 3,456 Japanese controls aged 20-91 and of aAbs and naAbs to IFN-α2 and IFN-ω in 627 Japanese COVID-19 patients aged 0-104, among whom were 170 critical, 235 severe, 112 moderate, 105 mild, and 5 asymptomatic infections. Methods ELISA and ISRE reporter assays were used to detect aAbs and naAbs using E. coli-produced IFNs. Results In an uninfected general Japanese population aged 20-91, we found aAbs in 0.087% of individuals. naAbs to type I IFNs (IFN-α2 and/or IFN-ω, 100 pg/mL) were detected in 10.6% of patients with critical infections, 2.6% of patients with severe infections, and ≤1% of patients with asymptomatic to mild infections. They were higher in COVID-19 patients over 50 (5.8%) than in younger patients (0%) and higher in men (5.5%) than in women (1.1%). A significant but not strong correlation between aAbs and naAbs to IFN-α2 existed (r=-0.307, p-value<0.0001), stressing the importance of measuring naAbs. Conclusion In the largest study focusing on a single ethnic and geographic group, we show that Japanese individuals with pre-existing naAbs have a much higher risk of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia.
Project description:PurposeAutoantibodies (aAbs) to type I interferons (IFNs) have been found in less than 1% of individuals under the age of 60 in the general population, with the prevalence increasing among those over 65. Neutralizing autoantibodies (naAbs) to type I IFNs have been found in at least 15% of patients with life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in several cohorts of primarily European descent. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of aAbs and naAbs to IFN-α2 or IFN-ω in Japanese patients who suffered from COVID-19 as well as in the general population.MethodsPatients who suffered from COVID-19 (n = 622, aged 0-104) and an uninfected healthy control population (n = 3,456, aged 20-91) were enrolled in this study. The severities of the COVID-19 patients were as follows: critical (n = 170), severe (n = 235), moderate (n = 112), and mild (n = 105). ELISA and ISRE reporter assays were used to detect aAbs and naAbs to IFN-α2 and IFN-ω using E. coli-produced IFNs.ResultsIn an uninfected general Japanese population aged 20-91, aAbs to IFNs were detected in 0.087% of individuals. By contrast, naAbs to type I IFNs (IFN-α2 and/or IFN-ω, 100 pg/mL) were detected in 10.6% of patients with critical infections, 2.6% of patients with severe infections, and 1% of patients with mild infections. The presence of naAbs to IFNs was significantly associated with critical disease (P = 0.0012), age over 50 (P = 0.0002), and male sex (P = 0.137). A significant but not strong correlation between aAbs and naAbs to IFN-α2 existed (r = - 0.307, p value < 0.0001) reinforced the importance of measuring naAbs in COVID-19 patients, including those of Japanese ancestry.ConclusionIn this study, we revealed that patients with pre-existing naAbs have a much higher risk of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in Japanese population.
Project description:BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pneumonia is often associated with hyperinflammation. Despite the disproportionate incidence of Covid-19 among underserved and racial and ethnic minority populations, the safety and efficacy of the anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab in patients from these populations who are hospitalized with Covid-19 pneumonia are unclear.MethodsWe randomly assigned (in a 2:1 ratio) patients hospitalized with Covid-19 pneumonia who were not receiving mechanical ventilation to receive standard care plus one or two doses of either tocilizumab (8 mg per kilogram of body weight intravenously) or placebo. Site selection was focused on the inclusion of sites enrolling high-risk and minority populations. The primary outcome was mechanical ventilation or death by day 28.ResultsA total of 389 patients underwent randomization, and the modified intention-to-treat population included 249 patients in the tocilizumab group and 128 patients in the placebo group; 56.0% were Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% were Black, 12.7% were American Indian or Alaska Native, 12.7% were non-Hispanic White, and 3.7% were of other or unknown race or ethnic group. The cumulative percentage of patients who had received mechanical ventilation or who had died by day 28 was 12.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.5 to 16.9) in the tocilizumab group and 19.3% (95% CI, 13.3 to 27.4) in the placebo group (hazard ratio for mechanical ventilation or death, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.97; P?=?0.04 by the log-rank test). Clinical failure as assessed in a time-to-event analysis favored tocilizumab over placebo (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.93). Death from any cause by day 28 occurred in 10.4% of the patients in the tocilizumab group and 8.6% of those in the placebo group (weighted difference, 2.0 percentage points; 95% CI, -?5.2 to 7.8). In the safety population, serious adverse events occurred in 38 of 250 patients (15.2%) in the tocilizumab group and 25 of 127 patients (19.7%) in the placebo group.ConclusionsIn hospitalized patients with Covid-19 pneumonia who were not receiving mechanical ventilation, tocilizumab reduced the likelihood of progression to the composite outcome of mechanical ventilation or death, but it did not improve survival. No new safety signals were identified. (Funded by Genentech; EMPACTA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04372186.).
Project description:BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is associated with immune dysregulation and hyperinflammation, including elevated interleukin-6 levels. The use of tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 receptor, has resulted in better outcomes in patients with severe Covid-19 pneumonia in case reports and retrospective observational cohort studies. Data are needed from randomized, placebo-controlled trials.MethodsIn this phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients who were hospitalized with severe Covid-19 pneumonia in a 2:1 ratio receive a single intravenous infusion of tocilizumab (at a dose of 8 mg per kilogram of body weight) or placebo. Approximately one quarter of the participants received a second dose of tocilizumab or placebo 8 to 24 hours after the first dose. The primary outcome was clinical status at day 28 on an ordinal scale ranging from 1 (discharged or ready for discharge) to 7 (death) in the modified intention-to-treat population, which included all the patients who had received at least one dose of tocilizumab or placebo.ResultsOf the 452 patients who underwent randomization, 438 (294 in the tocilizumab group and 144 in the placebo group) were included in the primary and secondary analyses. The median value for clinical status on the ordinal scale at day 28 was 1.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 1.0) in the tocilizumab group and 2.0 (non-ICU hospitalization without supplemental oxygen) (95% CI, 1.0 to 4.0) in the placebo group (between-group difference, -1.0; 95% CI, -2.5 to 0; P = 0.31 by the van Elteren test). In the safety population, serious adverse events occurred in 103 of 295 patients (34.9%) in the tocilizumab group and in 55 of 143 patients (38.5%) in the placebo group. Mortality at day 28 was 19.7% in the tocilizumab group and 19.4% in the placebo group (weighted difference, 0.3 percentage points; 95% CI, -7.6 to 8.2; nominal P = 0.94).ConclusionsIn this randomized trial involving hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19 pneumonia, the use of tocilizumab did not result in significantly better clinical status or lower mortality than placebo at 28 days. (Funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche and the Department of Health and Human Services; COVACTA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04320615.).
Project description:A hallmark of patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is serological neutralizing autoantibodies against type 1 interferons (IFN-I). The presence of these antibodies has been associated with severe course of COVID-19. The aims of this study were to investigate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine tolerability and immune responses in a large cohort of patients with APS-1 (N = 33) and how these vaccinated patients coped with subsequent infections. We report that adult patients with APS-1 were able to mount adequate SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibody responses after vaccination and observed no signs of decreased tolerability. Compared with age- and gender-matched healthy controls, patients with APS-1 had considerably lower peak antibody responses resembling elderly persons, but antibody decline was more rapid in the elderly. We demonstrate that vaccination protected patients with APS-1 from severe illness when infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus, overriding the systemic danger of IFN-I autoantibodies observed in previous studies.
Project description:IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to respiratory failure due to severe immune response. Treatment targeting this immune response might be beneficial but there is limited evidence on its efficacy. The aim of this study was to determine if early treatment of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia with tocilizumab and/or steroids was associated with better outcome.MethodsThis observational single-center study included patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were not intubated and received either standard of care (SOC, controls) or SOC plus early (within 3 days from hospital admission) anti-inflammatory treatment. SOC consisted of hydroxychloroquine 400mg bid plus, in those admitted before March 24th, also darunavir/ritonavir. Anti-inflammatory treatment consisted of either tocilizumab (8mg/kg intravenously or 162mg subcutaneously) or methylprednisolone 1 mg/kg for 5 days or both. Failure was defined as intubation or death, and the endpoints were failure-free survival (primary endpoint) and overall survival (secondary) at day 30. Difference between the groups was estimated as Hazard Ratio by a propensity score weighted Cox regression analysis (HROW).ResultsOverall, 196 adults were included in the analyses. They were mainly male (67.4%), with comorbidities (78.1%) and severe COVID-19 pneumonia (83.7%). Median age was 67.9 years (range, 30-100) and median PaO2/FiO2 200 mmHg (IQR 133-289). Among them, 130 received early anti-inflammatory treatment with: tocilizumab (n = 29, 22.3%), methylprednisolone (n = 45, 34.6%), or both (n = 56, 43.1%). The adjusted failure-free survival among tocilizumab/methylprednisolone/SOC treated patients vs. SOC was 80.8% (95%CI, 72.8-86.7) vs. 64.1% (95%CI, 51.3-74.0), HROW 0.48, 95%CI, 0.23-0.99; p = 0.049. The overall survival among tocilizumab/methylprednisolone/SOC patients vs. SOC was 85.9% (95%CI, 80.7-92.6) vs. 71.9% (95%CI, 46-73), HROW 0.41, 95%CI: 0.19-0.89, p = 0.025.ConclusionEarly adjunctive treatment with tocilizumab, methylprednisolone or both may improve outcomes in non-intubated patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.