Activating the immune system to its full potential is a very active field. In Covid - there is some evidence that an overactive immune response is killing people ...a cytokine storm.
Novartis and Incyte are planning to launch a clinical study to test the potential of Jakavi (ruxolitinib) in patients with COVID-19 associated cytokine storm, a type of severe immune overreaction that can result from the infection and may contribute to respiratory compromise in some patients.
According to the Swiss drugmaker, preclinical and preliminary clinical evidence suggests that the JAK inhibitor could reduce the number of patients requiring intensive care and mechanical ventilation.
The proposed trial will assess Jakavi in combination with standard of care (SoC) therapy, compared to SoC therapy alone, in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
http://www.pharmatimes.com/news/novarti ... rm_1335533It's still uncertain as to why the presentation varies so widely between patients.
Our intent is to build on emerging evidence from independent studies to further establish the role ruxolitinib could play in balancing immune response to the infection and therefore potentially improving outcomes of patients with COVID-19 associated cytokine storm,” Steven Stein, MD, chief medical officer, Incyte, said in a statement. “We recognize the significant and urgent medical need of patients with severe COVID-19 infection, and we are working with the FDA in an effort to rapidly advance the RUXCOVID and EAP studies.”
In a letter in The Lancet, Puja Mehta, MD, and colleagues wrote that a subgroup of patients with severe COVID-19 may have cytokine storm syndrome that resembles secondary hamophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a hyperinflammatory syndrome. Characteristics of this cytokine storm profile in patients with severe COVID-19 include: increased interleukin (IL)-2, IL-7, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, interferon-γ inducible protein 10, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, macrophage inflammatory protein 1-α, and tumor necrosis factor-α.2
https://www.targetedonc.com/news/phase- ... kine-storm