Siltuximab - A monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 receptor is not an ideal option for management of COVID-19

Abstract

The sudden outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which emerged in Wuhan city, China, has resulted in a global pandemic, posing a major health concern worldwide. Despite multiple therapeutic interventions, no treatment has yet proven effective in treating COVID-19. Furthermore, the complicated virology of SARS-CoV-2 makes the process of identifying effective treatments, an arduous task. COVID-19, being affecting the upper and lower respiratory tract, is associated with consequent release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in which interleukin (IL)-6 receptor plays a key role. The elevated inflammatory cytokines resulting in a cytokine storm play a major role in the pathology of COVID-19. Siltuximab has become a keen interest for researchers because it is a chimeric, human-murine, immunoglobulin G monoclonal antibody that binds and neutralises human IL-6 with high affinity and specificity. In this article, we tried to evaluate why siltuximab is not a suitable option for treating novel coronavirus from the clinical study evidence.

Keywords

• covid-19
• cytokine release syndrome
• interleukin-6
• monoclonal antibody
• siltuximab