Anti-Inflammatory Therapy for COVID-19: Exploring Alternative Options to Glucocorticoids

Strategic Insights -

Research has been ongoing to find more effective and safer treatments for COVID-19, particularly for patients who experience severe immune responses. A recent study published in the European Journal of Pharmacology has evaluated the use of an anti-rheumatic drug, iguratimod (IGU), as a potential treatment for COVID-19-related cytokine storm. The study found that IGU not only suppressed inflammation but also preserved antiviral immune responses in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Key Takeaways:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic is characterized by excessive inflammation, leading to multi-organ failure, and a "cytokine storm" triggered by the immune response.
  • Glucocorticoids (GCs) are commonly used to reduce cytokine storms, but they suppress antiviral immune responses, delaying viral clearance and worsening viral pneumonia.
  • An anti-inflammatory therapy that preserves antiviral immune responses is necessary, and a study has explored the use of IGU in improving the survival of mice infected with SARS-CoV-2.
  • Obesity is a strong risk factor for severe COVID-19, and visceral fat acts as a repository of inflammatory cells, enhancing the risk of cytokine storm.
  • The study used SARS-CoV-2-infected obese mice as a model for cytokine storm and evaluated the efficacy of IGU, dexamethasone, H-151, and a control group.
  • Mice treated with IGU showed higher survival rates and relatively mild inflammation and lung damage compared to other treatment groups.
  • IGU preserved infection-induced genes that support antiviral immunity, unlike dexamethasone, which suppressed both inflammatory and antiviral responses.
  • IGU has been approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis and may be repositioned as a therapeutic agent for SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Statistics:

  • 8-week-old male B6 mice were used in the study, and they were fed a high-fat diet for ten weeks before being injected with a sub-lethal dose of SARS-CoV-2.
  • Mice were monitored up to 10 days for survival rates, and the study found that IGU-treated mice showed higher survival rates compared to other treatment groups.
  • The ratio of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-positive cells significantly decreased in the IGU group, indicating that IGU could suppress viral expansion in the lungs.
  • 62% of mice treated with IGU survived compared to 25% in the dexamethasone group and 10% in the H-151 group.
  • The study suggests that IGU may be a promising therapeutic agent for SARS-CoV-2 infections, particularly for patients with severe COVID-19-related cytokine storm.

Sources:

  • European Journal of Pharmacology, Volume 996, June 5, 2025
  • Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) press release, 2025
  • NewsRx LLC, 2025