(A) Curves of the cumulative incidence of severe respiratory failure (SRF); and (B) curves of 30-day mortality; the inset shows the curves in enlarged Y-axis. The analysis includes propensity-scored …
Concentrations of (A) suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor); (B) the absolute lymphocyte count; (C) interleukin (IL)-6; and (D) sCD163 of patients under parallel standard-of-care (…
PBMCs were isolated before and 7 days after start of treatment with anakinra. PBMCs were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli O55:B5 for the production of interleukin (IL)−1β …
The analysis includes propensity-scored fully matched comparators treated with standard-of-care (SOC, n = 130) and the 130 participants in the SAVE trial who were treated with SOC treatment and …
SOC comparators were hospitalized at the same time period at seven department of Internal Medicine in tertiary hospitals and they were selected in two steps: at the first step after application of …
Patients participating in the SAVE trial received standard-of-care (SOC) treatment and anakinra and were compared to parallel comparators treated only with SOC. The inset shows the curves in …
SOC + anakinra (N = 130) | Parallel SOC (N = 179) | p-value* | Parallel SOC after propensity matching (N = 130) | p-value** | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age, years, mean (SD) | 63 (14) | 66 (14) | 0.094 | 64 (14) | 0.839 |
Male sex, No. (%) | 81 (62.3) | 116 (64.8) | 0.719 | 84 (64.6) | 0.797 |
Days from onset of symptoms to start of treatment, median (range) | 8 (1–23) | 6 (4–9) | 0.012 | 7 (1–12) | 0.143 |
Severity indexes, mean (SD) | |||||
Charlson’s comorbidity index | 3 (2) | 3 (2) | 0.123 | 3 (2) | 0.927 |
ΑPACHE II score | 7 (3) | 8 (5) | 0.002 | 7 (3) | 0.957 |
SOFA score | 2 (1) | 3 (2) | 0.001 | 2 (1) | 0.813 |
Pneumonia severity index | 69 (22) | 80 (28) | <0.0001 | 70 (20) | 0.709 |
WHO classification for COVID-19, No. (%) | |||||
Moderatepneumonia, no oxygen | 61 (46.9) | 68 (38.0) | 0.158 | 57 (43.8) | 0.709 |
Severe pneumonia | 69 (53.1) | 111 (62.0) | 73 (56.2) | ||
Comorbidities, No. (%) | |||||
Type 2 diabetes mellitus | 41 (31.5) | 45 (25.1) | 0.248 | 32 (24.6) | 0.270 |
Chronic heart failure | 11 (8.5) | 19 (10.6) | 0.565 | 10 (7.7) | 1.000 |
Chronic renal disease | 1 (0.8) | 12 (6.7) | 0.009 | 4 (3.1) | 0.370 |
Coronary heart disease | 10 (7.7) | 24 (13.4) | 0.141 | 14 (10.8) | 0.521 |
Arterial hypertension | 68 (52.3) | 87 (48.6) | 0.565 | 57 (43.8) | 0.214 |
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 12 (9.2) | 14 (7.8) | 0.682 | 6 (4.6) | 0.221 |
Solid tumor malignancy | 8 (6.2) | 14 (7.8) | 0.658 | 9 (6.9) | 1.000 |
Cerebrovascular disease | 7 (5.4) | 13 (7.3) | 0.641 | 4 (3.1) | 0.540 |
Bacterial co-infection, No. (%) | 1 (0.8) | 5 (2.8) | 0.407 | 3 (2.3) | 0.622 |
Streptococcus pneumoniae | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.1) | 0.511 | 2 (1.5) | 0.498 |
Escherichia coli | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.6) | 1.000 | 1 (0.8) | 1.000 |
Laboratory values, median (Q1–Q3) | |||||
White blood cells, cells/mm3 | 5400 (4390–6830) | 6215 (4805–9013) | 0.005 | 5879 (4760–7800) | 0.106 |
Lymphocytes, cells/mm3 | 950 (722–1252) | 961 (615–1271) | 0.307 | 977 (587–1318) | 0.382 |
Platelets, cells/mm3 | 184,000 (137,000–246,000) | 202,000 (150,000–270,000) | 0.121 | 204,400 (150,450–271,625) | 0.107 |
C-reactive protein, mg/l | 47.4 (14.3–105.5) | 64.7 (18.3–140.0) | 0.179 | 68.8 (19.7–141.8) | 0.117 |
Procalcitonin, ng/ml | 0.14 (0.08–0.31) | 0.23 (0.10–0.71) | 0.149 | 0.13 (0.08–0.41) | 0.841 |
Ferritin, ng/ml | 536.5 (280.0–898.5) | 629.5 (375.0–1277.0) | <0.001 | 607.5 (367.8–1196.0) | 0.107 |
Serum soluble uPAR, ng/ml | 8.9 (7.0–12.2) | 9.2 (7.0–13.8) | 0.344 | 9.0 (7.0–11.7) | 0.973 |
PaO2/FiO2, mmHg | 293.3 (195.7–371.2) | 262.0 (182.0–350.3) | 0.090 | 285.7 (208.5–371.7) | 0.917 |
Concomitant treatment, No. (%) | |||||
Hospitalization at tertiary academic hospitals | 127 (97.7) | 156 (87.2) | 0.191 | 120 (92.3) | 0.167 |
β-lactamase inhibitors | 18 (13.8) | 16 (8.9) | 0.199 | 13 (10) | 0.444 |
Third generation cephalosporins | 60 (46.2) | 66 (36.9) | 0.127 | 43 (33.1) | 0.042 |
Piperacillin/tazobactam | 37 (28.7) | 61 (34.1) | 0.323 | 42 (32.3) | 0.590 |
Ceftaroline | 38 (29.2) | 50 (27.9) | 0.800 | 42 (32.3) | 0.687 |
Carbapenem | 11 (8.5) | 23 (12.8) | 0.271 | 15 (11.5) | 0.536 |
Moxifloxacin/levofloxacin | 27 (20.9) | 26 (14.5) | 0.170 | 17 (13.2) | 0.136 |
Glycopeptides | 2 (1.5) | 6 (3.4) | 0.475 | 5 (3.8) | 0.447 |
Azithromycin | 96 (73.8) | 145 (81.0) | 0.164 | 104 (80.0) | 0.303 |
Remdesivir | 8 (6.2) | 12 (6.7) | 1.000 | 11 (8.5) | 0.635 |
Hydroxychloroquine | 56 (43.1) | 92 (51.4) | 0.066 | 68 (52.3) | 0.172 |
Dexamethasone | 52 (40.0) | 65 (36.3) | 0.553 | 47 (36.2) | 0.610 |
Predicted probability | 0.488 (0.386–0.571) | _ | _ | 0.488 (0.391–0.556) | 0.629 |
Abbreviations: APACHE: acute physiology and chronic health evaluation; n: number; Q: quartile; SD: standard deviation; SOC: standard-of-care; SOFA: sequential organ failure assessment; uPAR: urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor; WHO: World Health Organization.
*p-value of comparison between SOC + anakinra treated patients and parallel standard-care comparators.
**p-value of comparison between SOC + anakinra treated patients and parallel standard-care comparators after propensity matching.
Parallel SOC (N = 130) | SOC + Anakinra after propensity matching (N = 130) | OR (95% CI) | p-value | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Severe respiratory failure by day 14, No. (%) | 77 (59.2) | 29 (22.3) | 0.19 (0.12–0.34) | <0.0001 |
Mechanical ventilation (MV) by day 14, No. (%) | 65 (50.0) | 25 (19.2) | 0.24 (0.14–0.42) | <0.0001 |
Non-invasive MV by day 14, No. (%) | 9 (6.9) | 6 (4.6) | 0.65 (0.23–1.88) | 0.596 |
14-day mortality, No. (%) | 16 (12.3) | 6 (4.6) | 0.35 (0.13–0.91) | 0.043 |
SOFA score on day 7, median (Q1–Q3) | 2 (0 to 3) | 1 (0 to 3) | NA | 0.540 |
SOFA score on day 14, median (Q1–Q3) | 2 (0–9) | 1 (0–3) | NA | 0.191 |
Absolute change of SOFA score by day 7 compared to baseline, median (Q1–Q3) | 0 (−1 to 1) | 0 (−1 to 0) | NA | 0.356 |
Absolute change of SOFA score by day 14 compared to baseline, median (Q1–Q3) | 0 (−1 to 6) | −2 (−1 to 0) | NA | 0.004 |
Absolute change of respiratory symptoms score by day 7 compared to baseline, median (Q1–Q3) | 0 (0 to 0.75) | −1 (−3 to 0) | NA | 0.019 |
Absolute change of respiratory symptoms score by day 14 compared to baseline, median (Q1–Q3) | 0 (−0.75 to 0) | −2 (−4 to −1) | NA | 0.016 |
Ventilator-free days, mean (SD) | 18 (11) | 25 (8) | NA | <0.0001 |
30-day mortality, No. (%) | 29 (22.3) | 15 (11.5) | 0.45 (0.23–0.90) | 0.031 |
90-day mortality, No. (%) | 40 (30.8) | 22 (16.9) | 0.46 (0.25–0.83) | 0.013 |
Abbreviations: CI: confidence interval; n: number; NA: non-applicable; OR: odds ratio; Q: quartile; SD: standard deviation; SOC; standard-of-care; SOFA: sequential organ failure assessment.
Univariate and multivariate (Cox forward conditional) models, for patients receiving anakinra with standard-of-care (SOC) treatment and for parallel comparators receiving only SOC treatment are …
Univariate analysis | Multivariate analysis | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variable, no. (%) | SRF (−) (N = 154) | SRF (+) (N = 106) | HR (95% CI) | p-value | HR (95% CI) | p-value |
Anakinra treatment, n (%) | 101 (65.6) | 29 (27.4) | 0.30 (0.20–0.47) | <0.0001 | 0.28 (0.18–0.44) | <0.0001 |
APACHE II, mean (SD) | 6 (3) | 8 (3) | 1.12 (1.07–1.19) | <0.0001 | ||
SOFA score, mean (SD) | 2 (1) | 3 (1) | 1.58 (1.38–1.82) | <0.0001 | 1.41 (1.21–1.65) | <0.0001 |
Pneumonia severity index, mean (SD) | 66 (22) | 73 (19) | 1.01 (1.00–1.02) | 0.017 | ||
Severe COVID-19 by WHO classification, n (%) | 65 (42.2) | 77 (72.6) | 2.78 (1.81–4.27) | <0.0001 | 1.74 (1.09–2.79) | 0.020 |
Soluble uPAR, ng/ml, median (Q1–Q3) | 8.3 (6.7–11.0) | 10.0 (8.0–13.9) | 1.10 (1.04–1.17) | 0.001 | 1.07 (1.01–1.14) | 0.022 |
Lymphocytes/mm3, median (Q1–Q3) | 1000 (733–1315) | 930 (579–1197) | 0.99 (0.99–1.00) | 0.026 | ||
C-reactive protein, mg/l, median (Q1–Q3) | 41.1 (12.7–95.2) | 73.4 (30.6–153.1) | 1.00 (1.00–1.00) | <0.0001 | ||
Ferritin, ng/ml, median (Q1–Q3) | 525.0 (280.0–804.5) | 641.5 (451.3–1556.8) | 1.00 (1.00–1.00) | <0.0001 | ||
PaO2/FiO2, mmHg, median (Q1–Q3) | 330.8 (231.9–386.7) | 244.4 (161.7–305.8) | 0.99 (0.99–0.99) | <0.0001 | ||
Treatment with third generation cephalosporin, n (%) | 73 (47.4) | 30 (28.3) | 0.53 (0.35–0.82) | 0.004 | ||
Treatment with piperacillin/tazobactam, n (%) | 37 (24.0) | 42 (39.6) | 1.60 (1.08–2.38) | 0.019 | ||
Treatment with carbapenem, n (%) | 7 (4.5) | 19 (17.9) | 2.79 (1.69–4.60) | <0.0001 | 2.19 (1.26–3.83) | 0.006 |
Treatment with glycopeptide, n (%) | 1 (0.6) | 6 (5.7) | 2.60 (1.14–5.95) | 0.023 | ||
Treatment with dexamethasone, n (%) | 46 (29.9) | 53 (50.0) | 1.73 (1.19–2.54) | 0.005 |
Abbreviations: APACHE: acute physiology and chronic health evaluation; CI: confidence interval; HR: hazard ratio; n: number; PaO2/FiO2: ratio of partial oxygen pressure to the fraction of inspired oxygen; Q: quartile; SD: standard deviation; SOFA: sequential organ failure assessment; SRF: severe respiratory failure; uPAR: urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor.
The incidence of the same events was depicted among parallel SOC treated, propensity-matched comparators.
Parallel SOC (N = 130) | SOC + anakinra (N = 130) | OR (95% CI) | p-value | |
---|---|---|---|---|
At least one SAE by day 14, No. (%) | 63 (48.5) | 32 (24.6) | 0.34 (0.21–0.59) | <0.0001 |
Extended hospitalization | 63 (48.5) | 32 (24.6) | 0.34 (0.21–0.59) | <0.0001 |
Death | 16 (12.3) | 6 (4.6) | 0.35 (0.13–0.91) | 0.043 |
Shock | 56 (43.1) | 27 (20.8) | 0.34 (0.20–0.59) | <0.0001 |
Acute kidney injury | 37 (28.5) | 15 (11.5) | 0.32 (0.17–0.63) | 0.001 |
Any bacterial infection | 30 (23.1) | 9 (6.9) | 0.22 (0.10–0.49) | <0.0001 |
Thromboembolic event | 5 (3.8) | 2 (1.5) | 0.32 (0.06–1.72) | 0.188 |
Pulmonary edema | 0 (0) | 1 (0) | NA | 1.00 |
At least one AE by day 14, No. (%) | 89 (68.5) | 85 (65.4) | 0.87 (0.51–1.45) | 0.693 |
Gastrointestinal disturbances | 9 (6.9) | 15 (11.5) | 1.74 (0.74–4.17) | 0.284 |
Electrolyte abnormalities | 41 (31.5) | 35 (26.9) | 0.80 (0.47–1.37) | 0.496 |
Elevated liver function tests | 51 (39.2) | 40 (30.8) | 0.69 (0.41–1.15) | 0.193 |
Anemia | 26 (20.0) | 22 (16.9) | 0.82 (0.44–1.53) | 0.632 |
Leukopenia | 3 (2.3) | 11 (8.5) | 3.91 (1.07–14.37) | 0.051 |
Thrombopenia | 7 (5.4) | 9 (6.9) | 1.31 (0.47–3.62) | 0.797 |
Headache | 2 (1.5) | 4 (3.1) | 2.03 (0.37–11.29) | 0.684 |
Allergic reaction | 7 (5.4) | 4 (3.1) | 0.56 (0.16–1.95) | 0.540 |
Any heart arrhythmia | 22 (16.9) | 9 (6.9) | 0.37 (0.16–0.83) | 0.020 |
Abbreviations: AE: non-serious adverse event; CI: confidence interval; n: number; NA: non-available; OR: odds ratio; SAE: serious adverse event; SOC: standard-of-care.
Reagent type (species) or resource | Designation | Source or reference | Identifiers | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|---|
Commercial assay or kit | Human IL-1b uncoated ELISA | Invitrogen | 88–7261 | |
Commercial assay or kit | Human IL-6 uncoated ELISA | Invitrogen | 88–7066 | |
Commercial assay or kit | Human IL-10 uncoated ELISA | Invitrogen | 88–7066 | |
Commercial assay or kit | Human IL-2R uncoated ELISA | Invitrogen | 88-7025-22 | |
Commercial assay or kit | Human sCD163 uncoated ELISA | Affymetrix Inc | RAB0082 | |
Commercial assay or kit | Human Ferritin ELISA | ORGENTEC Diagnostika GmbH | ORG 5FE | |
Chemical compound, drug | Lymphosep, Lymphocyte Separation Media | Biowest | L0560 | |
Chemical compound, drug | PBS Dulbecco’s Phosphate Buffered Saline w/o Magnesium, w/o Calcium | Biowest | L0615 | |
Chemical compound, drug | FBS Superior; standardized Fetal Bovine Serum, EU-approved | Biochrom | S0615 | |
Chemical compound, drug | Gentamycin Sulfate BioChemica | PanReac AppliChem | A1492 | |
Chemical compound, drug | Penicillin G Potassium Salt BioChemica | PanReac AppliChem | A1837 | |
Chemical compound, drug | Lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia coli O55:B5 | Sigma-Aldrich | L2880 |
Name of study site | City | Level of care | SOC (n) | SOC + anakinra (n) |
---|---|---|---|---|
4th Department of Internal Medicine, ATTIKON University Hospital | Athens | Tertiary Academic | 17 | |
3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Sotiria General Hospital | Athens | Tertiary Academic | 26 | |
1st Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Sotiria General Hospital | Athens | Tertiary Academic | 25 | |
AHEPA General Hospital COVID-19 unit I | Thessaloniki | Tertiary Academic | 43 | |
AHEPA General Hospital COVID-19 unit II | Thessaloniki | Tertiary Academic | 32 | |
University General Hospital of Larissa | Larissa | Tertiary Academic | 36 | |
University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, COVID-19 unit I | Alexandroupolis | Tertiary Academic | 18 | |
University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, COVID-19 unit II | Alexandroupolis | Tertiary Academic | 18 | |
University General Hospital of Ioannina, COVID-19 unit I | Ioannina | Tertiary Academic | 3 | |
University General Hospital of Ioannina, COVID-19 unit II | Ioannina | Tertiary Academic | 11 | |
University General Hospital of Patras | Patras | Tertiary Academic | 15 | |
1st Department of Internal Medicine, Thriasio General Hospital | Athens | Tertiary NHS | 12 | |
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Kerkyra General Hospital | Kerkyra | Tertiary NHS | 4 |
Abbreviations N: number; NHS: national health system; SOC: standard-of-care.
Univariate and multivariate (Cox forward conditional) models, for the anakinra with standard-of-care group (SOC) and parallel SOC comparators are presented. Only admission variables that differ …
Univariate analysis | Multivariate analysis | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Variable no. (%) | SRF (−) (N = 46) | SRF (+) (N = 53) | HR (95% CI) | p-value | HR (95% CI) | p-value |
Anakinra treatment, n (%) | 31 (67.4) | 21 (39.6) | 0.55 (0.32–0.97) | 0.038 | 0.56 (0.32–0.97) | 0.038 |
Soluble uPAR, ng/ml, median (Q1–Q3) | 9.60 (7.2–12.6) | 11.6 (7.3–12.6) | 1.10 (1.00–1.20) | 0.030 | 1.97 (1.14–3.41) | 0.018 |
Ferritin, ng/ml, median (Q1–Q3) | 593.0 (411.3–968.5) | 633.0 (412.0–968.0) | 1.00 (1.00–1.00) | 0.025 |
Abbreviations: CI: confidence interval; HR: hazard ratio; n: number; Q: quartile; SRF: severe respiratory failure; uPAR: urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor.
Univariate and multivariate (Cox forward conditional) models, for the anakinra with standard-of-care (SOC) group and parallel SOC comparators are presented. Only admission variables that differ …
Univariate analysis | Multivariate analysis | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parameters, no. (%) | Survival (N = 216) | Death (N = 44) | HR (95% CI) | p-value | HR (95% CI) | p-value |
Anakinra treatment, n(%) | 115 (53.2) | 15 (34.1) | 0.49 (0.26–0.91) | 0.024 | 0.49 (0.25–0.97) | 0.041 |
Charlson’s comorbidity index, mean (SD) | 3 (2) | 4 (2) | 1.29 (1.13–1.48) | <0.0001 | 1.26 (1.09–1.48) | 0.002 |
APACHE II score, mean (SD) | 6 (3) | 9 (3) | 1.24 (1.14–1.35) | <0.0001 | ||
SOFA score, mean (SD) | 2 (1) | 3 (1) | 2.13 (1.73–2.63) | <0.0001 | 2.03 (1.61–2.55) | <0.0001 |
Pneumonia severity index, mean (SD) | 67 (21) | 81 (18) | 3.66 (1.85–7.24) | <0.0001 | ||
Severe COVID-19 by WHO classification, n (%) | 105 (48.6) | 37 (84.1) | 4.86 (2.17–10.92) | 0.0001 | ||
Soluble uPAR, ng/ml, median (Q1–Q3) | 8.8 (6.8–11.4) | 10.4 (8.0–14.7) | 1.15 (1.05–1.26) | 0.003 | ||
Lymphocytes/mm3, median (Q1–Q3) | 984 (699–1275) | 839 (545–1167) | 0.999 (0.99–1.00) | 0.024 | ||
C-reactive protein, mg/l, median (Q1–Q3) | 50.7 (17.5–118.4) | 80.1 (18.7–156.7) | 1.003 (1.00–1.01) | 0.033 | ||
PaO2/FiO2 mmHg, median (Q1–Q3) | 301 (224.6–374.4) | 195.8 (88.2–290.4) | 0.99 (0.98–0.99) | <0.0001 | ||
History of type 2 diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 53 (24.5) | 20 (45.5) | 2.38 (1.31–4.31) | 0.004 | ||
Treatment with third generation cephalosporin, n (%) | 93 (43.1) | 10 (22.7) | 0.43 (0.21–0.88) | 0.020 | ||
Treatment with piperacillin/tazobactam, n (%) | 59 (27.3) | 20 (45.5) | 2.03 (1.11–3.69) | 0.021 | ||
Treatment with remdesivir, n (%) | 11 (5.1) | 8 (18.6) | 3.22 (1.50–6.95) | 0.003 | 1.27 (1.09–1.47) | 0.002 |
Abbreviations: APACHE: acute physiology and chronic health evaluation; CI: confidence interval; HR: hazard ratio; n: number; PaO2/FiO2: ratio of partial oxygen pressure to the fraction of inspired oxygen; q: quartile; SD: standard deviation; SOFA: sequential organ failure assessment; uPAR: urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor.
Protocol and statistical analysis plan.