For Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia, Tofacitinib May Be Beneficial

In patients hospitalized with COVID-19, excess inflammation generally underlies clinical progression. By reducing cytokine production, Janus kinase (Jak) inhibitors tamp down inflammation. Now, investigators report results of an industry-supported trial of the Jak inhibitor tofacitinib in 289 patients in Brazil with COVID-19 pneumonia. Participants had been hospitalized for <72 hours and did not require mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. At enrollment, 75% were receiving supplemental oxygen and 78% were receiving glucocorticoids. All were randomized 1:1 to tofacitinib or placebo; median time from onset of symptoms to randomization was 10 days.

Progression to death or respiratory failure occurred significantly less…