Sanofi and Regeneron Repurpose IL-6 Inhibitor Kevzara for COVID-19 Treatment Following Tocilizumab

By Fan Dongdong

As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreads globally, health authorities worldwide and numerous pharmaceutical companies have launched clinical trials to investigate treatments for COVID-19. Recently, Regeneron and Sanofi have joined these efforts, evaluating the efficacy of their rheumatoid arthritis drug Kevzara in treating COVID-19.

Kevzara is an IL-6 inhibitor co-developed by Regeneron and Sanofi. It was approved by the U.S. FDA in 2017 for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A Regeneron spokesperson stated that the two companies are preparing to test the therapeutic efficacy of Kevzara in patients with COVID-19. Naimish Patel, Global Head of Immunology and Inflammation Research at Sanofi, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that Kevzara is expected to help stop the immune systems of COVID-19 patients from attacking healthy cells.

Previous reports indicated that Roche’s IL-6 inhibitor Actemra (tocilizumab) has the potential to help alleviate lung tissue damage in patients. On March 4, the National Health Commission of China issued the “Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 7),” which added tocilizumab for immunotherapy in the treatment of severe and critically ill cases, specifically for “patients with extensive bilateral lung involvement and severe disease, accompanied by elevated laboratory-detected IL-6 levels.”

Kevzara and Actemra are both IL-6 inhibitors, a class of drugs that block a specific protein, thereby inhibiting the body’s initiation of an immune response. A Sanofi spokesperson stated that studies have shown “clinical evidence” supporting the use of these drugs in treating pulmonary complications caused by COVID-19.

Regarding the COVID-19 trials for Kevzara, Regeneron will lead the trials in the United States, while Sanofi will advance this development internationally.

Although Kevzara has been on the market for more than two years, its performance has been lackluster. In December last year, Sanofi and Regeneron restructured their partnership, with Sanofi retaining global ownership of Kevzara, while Regeneron took responsibility for the PCSK9 cholesterol drug Praluent.

In addition to Kevzara, Regeneron is also investigating the efficacy of a combination regimen of REGN3048 and REGN3051 for the treatment of COVID-19. The antibodies in this study both bind to the S protein of the MERS coronavirus.

Reference Sources:

1、Regeneron and Sanofi Aim a Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug at Coronavirus

2、Could arthritis med Kevzara hold promise against the novel coronavirus? Sanofi, Regeneron aim to find out