Thalidomide should be tested as a therapeutic option in COVID-19 pneumonia

TISCORMIA JORGE; POGGIO, THELMA VERÓNICA; FEINSILBER DANIEL; COLEMAN ANTON

Skinmed Journal

United States National Library of Medicine

Lugar: Sea Bright; Año: 2020 vol. 14 p. 254 - 255

1540-9740

The COVID-19 pandemic is reported to have originated in China at the end of December 2019 and spread inexorably in the first months of 2020. Numerous therapeutic options are under evaluation, still without striking results. Thalidomide is primarily known to be teratogenic. Despite this, said medication has been useful for its modulating action of the immune response and its therapeutic efficacy for type 2 reactions in Hansen´s disease (leprosy) relieving hundreds of thousands of patients from this serious complication. There is evidence emerging from animal research and clinical observations that thalidomide could be a possible therapeutic option for the cytokine storm affecting patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The authors suggest clinical trials should be undertaken to test the possible efficacy of thalidomide for the treatment of the cytokine storm seen in COVID-19 infections.