Immunomodulators and SARS-CoV-2: Management of the Dysregulated Immune Response

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. In adults, it can lead to serious complications such as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), renal failure, encephalitis, acute cardiac illness, thromboembolism, and multiorgan failure. However, in infants and children, it causes mild illness. The current evidence showed hyperinflammatory syndrome is the reason for most of the deaths in patients with severe COVID-19. There are increasing research activities around immunomodulatory drugs to manage SARS-CoV-2 induced dysregulated immune response. However, these immunomodulatory drugs are currently approved by FDA for the prevention and treatment of certain inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, recurrent pericarditis, and multiple sclerosis. Here, we summarise the drugs studied in several randomised clinical trials to demonstrate the efficacy and safety in treating the uncontrolled immune response of COVID-19 patients.

Keywords

• cytokine storm
• hyperinflammation
• immunomodulators
• randomised clinical trial
• sars-cov-2