Combined Use of Tocilizumab and Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in the Treatment of Severe Covid-19: Case Report
Alexandra Cristina Senegaglia, Cármen Lúcia Kuniyoshi Rebelatto, Cláudio Luciano Franck, Juliana Souza Lima, Lidiane Maria Boldrini Leite, Débora Regina Daga, Cleverson Alex Leitão, Patrícia Shigunov, Ana Paula de Azambuja, Elisa Bana, Daniela Boscaro Marsaro, Bruna Schaidt, Andressa Micosky, Valderez Ravaglio Jamur, Yara Carolina Schluga, Isadora May Vaz, Lisandro Ribeiro, Alejandro Correa, e Paulo Roberto Slud Brofman
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic is one of the most significant public health events in recent history. Currently, no specific treatment is available. Some drugs and cell-based therapy have been tested as alternatives to decrease the disease’s symptoms, length of hospital stay, and mortality. We reported the case of a patient with a severe manifestation of COVID-19 in critical condition who did not respond to the standard procedures used, including six liters of O 2 supplementation under a nasal catheter and treatment with dexamethasone and enoxaparin in prophylactic dose. The patient was treated with tocilizumab and an advanced therapy product based on umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSC). The combination of tocilizumab and UC-MSC proved to be safe, with no adverse effects, and the results of this case report prove to be a promising alternative in the treatment of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome due to SARS-CoV-2.