What Is Actemra?
Actemra is a drug prescribed by medical doctors to treat several medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (a serious type of arthritis in children). It is an artificially produced monoclonal antibody used to fight against the interleukin-6 receptor; for this reason, it is called an interleukin-6 receptor antagonist. It is also called Atizumab.
The United States and drug administration (FDA) recently issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) legalizing the use of Actemra to treat corona virus in adult and pediatric patients (two years of age and older) in the hospital receiving corticosteroids and need supplemental oxygen or a ventilator (machine used to aid breathing) or a device that adds oxygen to the blood outside the body (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or ECMO).
Actemra just like every humanized medication has its side effects. Usage of this drug could lead to life threatening side effects, doctors always advise patients to report immediately if any of these side effects is observed: