UK says it has two new ‘life-saving’ COVID-19 treatments that cut the death risk

The United Kingdom said recently that it has two new “life-saving” COVID-19 treatments that dramatically cut the death risk.

What’s going on?

The UK said it has two new treatments — tocilizumab and sarilumab — that reduced the risk of dying from COVID-19 by 24% in those who take the medicine.

• The drugs often look to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Those who took the treatment spent 10 days less in the hospital than those who didn’t, according to the study.

• The new UK study — funded by the government’s REMAP-CAP trial — has not been peer-reviewed or published.

Matt Hancock, the country’s health secretary, said in the statement that the discovery of the new treatments was a “landmark development” that will save “hundreds of lives.”

Key quote:

• “The data shows that tocilizumab, and likely sarilumab, speed up and improve the odds of recovery in intensive care, which is crucial for helping to relieve pressure on intensive care and hospitals and saving lives,” said professor Jonathan Van-Tam, the UK’s deputy chief medical officer, in a statement.

Next steps:

The Department of Health and Social Care said it will work closely with the drugmaker Roche, which manufactures tocilizumab, to help develop the vaccine, Sky News reports.