Incyte has started a Phase III clinical trial of ruxolitinib (Jakafi) to treat cytokine storm caused by Covid-19 coronavirus infection.
Cytokine storm is an immune overreaction to a viral infection and can result in serious complications such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Ruxolitinib is a JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor approved for polycythemia vera, myelofibrosis and graft-versus-host disease. The global, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III trial, named RUXCOVID, will assess the safety and efficacy of ruxolitinib given along with standard-of-care (SoC) in around 400 patients aged ≥12 years worldwide.