Empty cardboard box and glass vial for 20ml of RoActemra®, tocilizumab, used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis formed part of the REMAP-CAP trial to find treatments for COVID-19, and was found to cut death risks and reduced the need for transfer to intensive care, originally made by Roche, 2020-2021

In November 2020, preliminary results of a clinical trial showed that a medication normally used for arthritis, tocilizumab, heled improved outcomes for people critically ill with COVID-19. Further results three months later showed that when given in combination with corticosteroids and breathing support, tocilizumab and a second similar drug, sarilumab, reduced mortality by 8.5%. Tocilizumab was tested by an international trial platform called REMAP-CAP (Randomised, Embedded, Multi-factorial, Adaptive Platform Trial for Community-Acquired Pneumonia). Set up prior to the pandemic, the trial evaluates several treatment options at the same time. As of October 2021, over 300 sites are participating in REMAP-CAP across 21 countries. Professor Anthony Gordon, consultant in intensive care medicine at Imperial College NHS Trust, is the UK Chief Investigator for REMAP-CAP.

The results for tocilizumab were backed up the RECOVERY trial (Randomised Evaluation of Covid-19 Therapy) in February 2021. Half of 4000 people with COVID in hospital worldwide were given tocilizumab, via a drip, alongside usual care, and dexamethasone. This trial also found that it reduced the chance of someone needing to go on a ventilator by a third.