Highlights
- •Severe cases of COVID-19 are characterized by massive hyper-inflammatory host response.
- •Anakinra is a recombinant form of IL-1 receptor antagonist.
- •Several studies on anakinra in COVID-19 reported positive effects on mortality.
- •Our meta-analyses included four observational studies involving 184 patients.
- •Anakinra was associated with reduction in mortality and mechanical ventilation.
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Conclusions
Keywords
Introduction
- De Luca G
- Cavalli G
- Campochiaro C
- Della-Torre E
- Angelillo P
- Tomelleri A
- et al.
- Aouba A
- Baldolli A
- Geffray L
- Verdon R
- Bergot E
- Martin-Silva N
- et al.
- Dimopoulos G
- de Mast Q
- Markou N
- Theodorakopoulou M
- Komnos A
- Mouktaroudi M
- et al.
- Navarro-Millán I
- Sattui S
- Lakhanpal A
- Zisa D
- Siegel C
- Crow M.
- Huet T
- Beaussier H
- Voisin O
- Jouveshomme S
- Dauriat G
- Lazareth I
- et al.
- Arena WP
- Malyak M
- Guthridge CJ
- Gabay C.
- Gabay C
- Smith MF
- Eidlen D
- Arend WP.
Materials and methods
Search Strategy
Study Selection
Data Abstraction
Assessment of risk of bias in included studies
- Sterne JA
- Hernán MA
- Reeves BC
- Savović J
- Berkman ND
- Viswanathan M
- et al.
Data Analysis and Synthesis
- Liberati A
- Altman DG
- Tetzlaff J
- Mulrow C
- Gøtzsche PC
- Ioannidis JPA
- et al.
Results
Study characteristics
- Filocamo G
- Mangioni D
- Tagliabue P
- Aliberti S
- Costantino G
- Minoia F
- et al.
- Aouba A
- Baldolli A
- Geffray L
- Verdon R
- Bergot E
- Martin-Silva N
- et al.
- Dimopoulos G
- de Mast Q
- Markou N
- Theodorakopoulou M
- Komnos A
- Mouktaroudi M
- et al.

- Navarro-Millán I
- Sattui S
- Lakhanpal A
- Zisa D
- Siegel C
- Crow M.
- Huet T
- Beaussier H
- Voisin O
- Jouveshomme S
- Dauriat G
- Lazareth I
- et al.
- Cauchois R
- Koubi M
- Delarbre D
- Manet C
- Carvelli J
- Blasco VB
- et al.
First author | Year | Setting | Inclusion criteria | Anakinra patients | Control patients | Anakinra dosage | Duration on study treatment | Comparator | Follow-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cauchois R | 2020 | Ordinary ward | Adult patients with a positive PCR for SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal samples, respiratory symptoms, and a concordant pneumonia on low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan, scored from 0 to 5 according to the severity. Between the 5th and 13th days of the diagnosis, the patients presented severe hypoxia requiring oxygen therapy and were classified as stage 2b or 3, according to the 2020 clinical staging proposal. Anakinra was started with a rapidly deteriorating condition consisting of increased oxygen requirement of >4 L/min within the previous 12 h, and CRP above 110 mg/L with or without fever higher than 38.5°C. | 12 | 10 | nfused intravenously (i.v.) over 2 h as a single daily dose of 300 mg for 5 days, then tapered to 200 mg•d−1 for 2 days, and then 100 mg for 1 day | 8 days | Standard treatment: antibiotics and hydroxychloroquine. Two patients received ritonavir/lopinovir. | 20 days |
Cavalli G | 2020 | Ordinary ward | Adults patients with COVID-19 ARDS, and hyperinflammation: increase in serum C-reactive protein (≥100 mg/L) or ferritin (≥900 ng/mL), or both. COVID-19 was diagnosed by quantitative RT-PCR and either chest radiography or CT. ARDS (acute-onset respiratory failure with bilateral infiltrates on chest radiography or CT, hypoxaemia ([PaO2:FiO2] ≤200 mm Hg with a positive end-expiratory pressure [PEEP] of at least 5 cm H2O), and no evidence of left atrial hypertension. | 36 | 16 | High-dose anakinra: intravenously at a dose of 10 mg/kg per day (5 mg/kg twice daily, infused over 1 h), in addition to standard treatment. | Until sustained clinical benefit: 75% reduction in serum C-reactive protein and sustainedrespiratory improvement (PaO2:FiO2 >200 mm Hg) for at least 2 days, or until death, bacteraemia or side-effects arousal. | Standard treatment and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) outside of the ICU; no anti-inflammatory agents or glucocorticoids. | 21 days |
Huet T | 2020 | Ordinary ward | Adult patients with severe COVID-19-related bilateral pneumonia; SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by either a positive result from an RT-PCR assay or a typical aspect on CT scan of the lungs; bilateral lung infiltrates on a lung CT scan or chest x-ray; and had critical pulmonary function defined by oxygen saturation ≤93% under ≥6 L/min of oxygen or oxygen saturation <93% on 3 L/min with a saturation on ambient air decreasing by 3% in the previous 24 h. | 52 | 44 | Subcutaneous anakinra at a dose of 100 mg twice daily for 72 h, followed by 100 mg daily for 7 days, in addition to standard treatment. | 10 days | Standard treatment included oral hydroxychloroquine 600 mg/day for 10 days, oral azithromycin 250 mg/day for 5 days, and parenteral β-lactam antibiotics for 7 days. All patients received thromboembolic prophylaxis. No oral corticosteroids or vasopressors were used, but some patients received an intravenous bolus of methylprednisolone (500 mg). Supportive care included low-flow or high-flow oxygen therapy (>6 L/min with high-flow nasal cannula or face mask). None of the patients had invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline. | Hospital stay |
Navarro-Millan I | 2020 | Ordinary ward | Adult COVID-19 patients with molecular documentation of SARS-CoV-2, fever (documented or historical), ferritin >1,000 ng/mL with one additional laboratory marker of hyperinflammation, and acute hypoxic respiratory failure (requiring either 15 liters (L) of supplemental oxygen (O2) via non-rebreather mask combined with 6L nasal cannula or ≥95% oxygen by high flow nasal cannula. | 11 | 3 | Subcutaneous anakinra 100 mg every 6 hours; however, while a uniform treatment plan and secure supply of medication was being established, the first two patients were treated initially with doses below the proposed 100 mg every 6 hours. The dosing frequency of anakinra was gradually decreased to every 8, 12, and 24 hours. | Maximum 20 days | Standard treatment: methylprednisolone, empiric antibiotics and hydroxychloroquine. | Hospital stay |
Quantitative Data Synthesis
Outcome | Number of included studies | Anakinra patients | Control patients | RR | 95% CI | P for effect | I2 (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall studies | 4 | 111 | 73 | ||||
Mortality | 4 | 11/111 [10%] | 30/73 [41%] | 0.26 | 0.14 to 0.48 | <0.0001 | 0 |
Need for invasive MV | 4 | 18/111 [16%] | 26/73 [36%] | 0.45 | 0.25 to 0.82 | 0.008 | 19 |
Bacterial infection | 3 | 9/99 [9%] | 2/63 [3%] | 1.59 | 0.35 to 7.16 | 0.55 | 7 |
Thromboembolic events | 3 | 13/99 [13%] | 7/63[11%] | 1.35 | 0.58 to 3.12 | 0.35 | 0 |
Elevated serum transaminases | 3 | 13/99 [13%] | 9/63 [14%] | 0.81 | 0.21 to 3.13 | 0.11 | 55 |
Discharged from hospital with no limitations | 2 | 20/47 [43%] | 6/19[32%] | 1.29 | 0.61 to 2.74 | 0.50 | 0 |


Discussion
- Dinarello CA.
- Arena WP
- Malyak M
- Guthridge CJ
- Gabay C.
- Gabay C
- Smith MF
- Eidlen D
- Arend WP.
- Park WY
- Goodman RB
- Steinberg KP
- Ruzinski JT
- Radella F
- Park DR
- et al.
- Schultz MJ
- Hemmes SNT
- Neto AS
- Binnekade JM
- Canet J
- Hedenstierna G
- et al.
- Cavalli G
- Foppoli M
- Cabrini L
- Dinarello CA
- Tresoldi M
- Dagna L.
- Eloseily EM
- Weiser P
- Crayne CB
- Haines H
- Mannion ML
- Stoll ML
- et al.
- Ravelli A
- Minoia F
- Davì S
- Horne A
- Bovis F
- Pistorio A
- et al.
- Aouba A
- Baldolli A
- Geffray L
- Verdon R
- Bergot E
- Martin-Silva N
- et al.
- Dimopoulos G
- de Mast Q
- Markou N
- Theodorakopoulou M
- Komnos A
- Mouktaroudi M
- et al.
- Navarro-Millán I
- Sattui S
- Lakhanpal A
- Zisa D
- Siegel C
- Crow M.
- Huet T
- Beaussier H
- Voisin O
- Jouveshomme S
- Dauriat G
- Lazareth I
- et al.
- Cavalli G
- Tomelleri A
- De Luca G
- Campochiaro C
- Dinarello CA
- Baldissera E
- et al.
Novartis provides update on CAN-COVID trial in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) | Novartis n.d. https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-provides-update-can-covid-trial-hospitalized-patients-covid-19-pneumonia-and-cytokine-release-syndrome-crs (accessed December 22, 2020).
- Campochiaro C
- Della-Torre E
- Cavalli G
- De Luca G
- Ripa M
- Boffini N
- et al.
- Della-Torre E
- Campochiaro C
- Cavalli G
- De Luca G
- Napolitano A
- La Marca S
- et al.
- De Luca G
- Cavalli G
- Campochiaro C
- Della-Torre E
- Angelillo P
- Tomelleri A
- et al.
- Collaborative Group RECOVERY
- Horby P
- Lim WS
- Emberson JR
- Mafham M
- Bell JL
- et al.
- Pasin L
- Navalesi P
- Zangrillo A
- Kuzovlev A
- Likhvantsev V
- Hajjar LA
- et al.
- Collaborative Group RECOVERY
- Horby P
- Lim WS
- Emberson JR
- Mafham M
- Bell JL
- et al.
- Collaborative Group RECOVERY
- Horby P
- Lim WS
- Emberson JR
- Mafham M
- Bell JL
- et al.
- Huet T
- Beaussier H
- Voisin O
- Jouveshomme S
- Dauriat G
- Lazareth I
- et al.
Declaration of Competing Interest
Fundings
Acknowledgments
Appendix. Supplementary materials
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