User:Mr. Ibrahem/Tocilizumab

Tocilizumab, also known as atlizumab and sold under the trade name Actemra among others is an immunosuppressive medication, used for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis, COVID-19, and giant cell arteritis. In RA it may be used when other treatments are not sufficiently effective. In COVID-19 it is used in severe disease. It is used by injection.

Common side effects include upper respiratory tract infections, headache, and high blood pressure. Other severe side effects include gastrointestinal perforation, low blood neutrophils, liver inflammation, anaphylaxis, and cancer. Infection that occur as a result of tocilizumab may be severe. Use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not recommended. It is a humanized monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R).

Tocilizumab was approved for medical use in Japan in 2005, Europe in 2009, and the United States in 2010. It was developed by Chugai and Hoffmann–La Roche. The form that is injected just under the skin is generally given every one to two weeks and costs the NHS 230 pounds per dose as of 2020. In the United States this amount is 1,150 USD as of 2020. Generic versions are not avaliable as of 2016 but are in development.