July 22, 2020

expert reaction to study looking at Interleukin 7 immunotherapy and lymphocyte counts in a group of patients with severe COVID-19

A paper, published in JAMA Network Open, has looked at the lymphocyte counts of a group of patients with severe COVID-19 after Interleukin 7 immunotheraphy.

Prof Stephen Evans, Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said:

“This is a small observational study that suggests that treatment with IL7 may improve lymphocyte (white blood cells that are vital for immune responses) counts in patients who are severely ill and have very low lymphocytes at the start.  It is not suggested as a general treatment and as it was not randomised the conclusions should be treated with caution.

“There is no evidence, though based on such small numbers (12 on IL-7 and 13 as a comparison group) conclusions have to be very weak, that it leads to improved mortality.

“There is no currently licensed drug with IL7 though it has been tested in cancer and conditions other than Covid-19.  IL7 has the potential to help with immune responses to viruses but as yet there is no convincing evidence of its benefit in any condition.  This study adds very little to knowledge and it would be unwise to conclude it will be effective in severe Covid-19.”

‘Association of Interleukin 7 Immunotherapy With Lymphocyte Counts Among Patients With Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)’ by Pierre Francois Laterre et al. was published in JAMA Network Open on Wednesday 22 July 2020.

DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.16485

All our previous output on this subject can be seen at this weblink:

www.sciencemediacentre.org/tag/covid-19

Declared interests

Prof Stephen Evans: “No conflicts of interest.  I am funded (1 day/week) by LSHTM.  They get funding from various companies, including Astra Zeneca and GSK but I am not funded by them, I have no involvement in obtaining funding from them and I am not an investigator or any grants obtained from them.  I am the statistician to the “meta-Data Safety and Monitoring Board” for CEPI.  I will probably be paid for my attendance at meetings and expenses for travel.”