Swiss drug manufacturer Roche has received Emergency use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its test to help COVID-19 patients who are at higher risk of needing a ventilator.
Roche said on Thursday the test called Elecsys IL-6 could help identify severe inflammatory response in patients with COVID-19.
It could help identify COVID-19 patients who are at higher risk of intubation, needing mechanical ventilation, eventually helping medical providers to decide early on whether ventilation is required.
The company said, “The decision makes the in vitro diagnostic test accessible to patients in the United States and is also available in markets accepting the CE mark.”
Roche is testing its arthritis drug called Actemra in patients who have pneumonia related to the new coronavirus, joining other pharma companies seeking to re-purpose existing drugs to fight the ongoing pandemic.
The Swiss drugmaker is also planning to test a combination of its anti-inflammatory drug Actemra and Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir to see whether it could work better against severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19 than remdesivir alone.
Roche said the Elecsys IL-6 test would identify patients who could be eligible for Actemra. The sales of Actemra rose about 30% in the first quarter largely due to the new coronavirus.
