Doctors using anti-cancer drugs to treat Covid +ve

Nagpur: The repurposed cancer immunotherapeutic agents or the anti-cancer drugs like Tocilizumab, Bevacizumab, Infliximab, Itilozumab and others seems to have become potent weapons for the medical fraternity treating SARS-CoV-2 patients, despite the risk factor associated with them.
Though the immuno-suppressant properties have triggered high concern, the medical fraternity still feels that taking calculated risk is better than losing a battle without a fight.
Apart from life-saving Tocilizumab, Infliximab, Bevacizumab, Itilozumab, drugs like Baricitinib and Tofacitinib are among the ones that too are the lesser-known experimental therapies in the gamut of the anti-Covid treatments.
As per the experts, the use of Tofacitinib with steroids has yielded a higher degree of success so far in many cases. Baricitinib, which was earlier approved to treat Rheumatoid arthritis, has shown reduced inflammation effects by blocking SARS-CoV-2 and saving the cells from its damages.
Dr Rajesh Atal, senior physician and attached to Orange City Hospital, said the anti-cancer drugs are basically monoclonal antibodies that acts on the inflammation cascade. “These anti-cancer drugs have a mechanism by which they act on a specific antigen,” he said. Dr Atal said he had been using relatively newer drugs like Tofacitinib. “The extrapolated data of cancer treatment are being used to apply in Covid. These drugs are helping many patients from proceeding to severity from moderate level,” he said.
Dr Nitin Shinde, infectious disease expert, said these anti-cancer drugs are the repurposed ones that have been used with some success.
The doctors said the Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), a life-threatening inflammatory response, is common in cancer patients. Similar pattern of inflammatory response has been observed in Covid patients. The worldwide studies are being done to ascertain whether the anti-cancer immunotherapies can be extrapolated in Covid treatment too.
The doctors also stated that monoclonal antibodies of these drugs are formulated in such a way that they get attached to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 at different locations creating a barrier for it to enter the patient’s cell.
Dr Sanjay Jain, director of the Shanti Mohan Hospital, said the anti-cancer drugs are immunomodulators that release cytokine suppressants paving way for their control which in turn helps the Covid patients to overcome the disease. “Using these immuno-suppressants should be done with great caution as they tend to push up the fungal and bacterial infections,” said Dr Jain.
According to an experienced pharmacist, doctors have started prescribing Barricitinib and Tofacitinib that are now available in the markets and are in demands. “Doctors are using these new drugs to see their effects. The demand has increased,” he said.