The government of Punjab has approved the use of drug "Actemra" for treating critically ill COVID-19 patients. Recently, it's observed that there's a sudden spike in the mortality rate reported by state-run hospitals across the province. So the government is desperate to find a cure for the disease and the government's hopes are pinned on Actemra. This drug isn't new and its use for Coronavirus patients is started after it showed promise against the virus in several clinical trials.

Actemra and RoAcemtra are brand names of the recently authorized drug while its generic name is Tocilizumab. The 400mg injectable drug is an interleukin-6 inhibitor that can be used to treat patients infected with novel coronavirus who have developed serious lung damage and also have elevated levels of IL-6 in the blood.

Prior researches have suggested that elevated levels of IL-6 , a biomarker for inflammation and high-level immune response, are associated with a higher mortality rate in people with community-acquired pneumonia. It's hoped that the drug could be able to interrupt ‘cytokine release syndrome’ (CRS), a runaway form of systemic inflammatory response that can occur as a complication of some diseases or infections like COVID-19.

Tocilizumab is an immunosuppressive drug that is used alone or with other medications to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults. It is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in children.

The decision to okay the use of Actemra was taken in a meeting presided by Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid on Wednesday. It is reported that Vice-chancellors of several medical universities, principals of medical colleges, members of the government’s Corona Expert Advisory Group (CEAG), Punjab's leading pulmonologists, and professors of medicine attended this meeting. The decision was welcomed by attendees.

The health department has allowed all teaching hospitals in Lahore to purchase 20 doses of the medicine. It is an expensive drug. It's told that the price of each dose of the injectable drug is Rs. 60,000 and it will be given twice to critical patients under treatment at Intensive Care Units (ICU) of the province.

According to a study of Mayo Hospital Lahore, the hospital reported an impressive 80-90% recovery rate after doctors prescribed Actemra to critically ill COVID-19 patients brought there with damaged lungs and severe pneumonia.

Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid while speaking to a news channel yesterday, said that:

"Usage of Actemra is only suitable for critically ill patients admitted to ICUs who are under the strict supervision of specialist doctors. So no one should be taking the drug on their own."