Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection: Role of interleukin-6 and the inflammatory cascade

Table 1 Drugs with anti-interleukin-6 activity and their side effects with examples of clinical trials in coronavirus disease 2019

Ref.	SARS-CoV-2 clinical trials on Clinicaltrial.gov	Side effects	Examples	Category
[93]	NCT04661527, NCT04315298, NCT04357808, NCT04386239, NCT04341870, NCT04359901, NCT04380519	Cytopenia, intestinal perforation, Hypersensitivity, immunosuppression, and the possibility of infections, impairment of liver enzymes	Sarilumab	The anti-receptor of IL-6
[94,95]	NCT04445272, NCT04331795, NCT04346355, NCT04320615, NCT04356937, NCT04403685, NCT04339712	Intestinal perforation, Hypersensitivity, immunosuppression, and the possibility of infections, acute liver dysfunction, demyelination, cardiac injury, and hepatitis	Tocilizumab
[96]	NCT04322188, NCT04329650, NCT04330638	Hypersensitivity disorders, intestinal perforation, risk of infections	Siltuximab	Anti-IL-6
[97]	-	Preclinical; in a phase 2 trial of IBD, it showed effectiveness. Patients in this study who were treated with the drug had hypersensitivity skin reactions and respiratory infections. In animal studies, it did not show serious immunosuppression	Olamkicept	Specific gp130fc
[98]	NCT04358614, NCT04401579, NCT04640168, NCT04381936 (RECOVERY Trial), NCT04320277	Increased risk of infections including reactivation of latent infections, lymphoproliferative disorder, cytopenia, liver enzymes disturbances, clot formation, intestinal perforations	Baricitinib	JAK inhibitors
[99]	NCT04348071, NCT04377620, NCT04362137, NCT04366232	Skin malignancy, exacerbation with drug discontinuation, cytopenia, and immunosuppression, increased risk of infection	Ruxolitinib

SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; IL: Interleukin; IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease; JAK: Janus kinase.