Tocilizumab and sarilumab are effective for critically ill patients with COVID-19 who require organ support

Are monoclonal antibodies against the interleukin-6 receptor effective in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19?

In patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 and require respiratory or cardiovascular organ support, the monocloncal antibodies tocilizumab and sarilumab reduce mortality (number needed to treat [NNT] = 12) and decrease the need for organ support during the 3 weeks following the initiation of therapy. As we have seen with other studies of COVID-19 therapies, benefit is often restricted to specific groups, and this result should not be generalized to less ill patients for whom the benefit has not been demonstrated.