COVID-19 or Coronavirus disease 2019 is a worldwide ongoing pandemic devastating the
whole world, and we are at present facing the second wave which is hitting us like
a tsunami.[1] Although 90 percent of patients recover with home isolation but less than 10 percent
of patients are afflicted with severe dyspnea caused by inflammatory pulmonary effusion
or edema, leading to severe COVID-19, which further instigates pulmonary and systemic
hypoxia.[2]
[3]
Bevacizumab has been used in clinical oncotherapy since 2004, with considerable reliability
and safety. Taken together, we designed this trial to investigate the clinical benefits
of bevacizumab plus standard care for treating patients with severe COVID-19.
In a recent article in Nature, bevacizumab’s role has been extrapolated in severe COVID-19. Acute respiratory distress
syndrome (ARDS) supposedly creates hypoxia in lung tissues. Bevacizumab, through its
vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody expression, increases tissue permeability
and reduces hypoxia.[4] It is being used as a substitute for the scarcely available drug, tocilizumab, with
proposed equal efficacy in a small phase III article from Bangladesh.[5]
Keeping these observations in mind, we retrospectively analyzed our 28 patients being
treated on bevacizumab during the last 2 months to see the impact of COVID-19pandemic
on these patients, and assess the severity of the disease. The patients were called
over the telephone to ascertain their well-being. A simple questionnaire was distributed
to determine whether they had COVID, and if yes, whether they had hospitalization/ICU
care or whether any patient succumbed to the disease.
On evaluation, out of the 28 patients interviewed, only 6 had COVID-19 infection,
4 had home isolation and were more or less asymptomatic, and 2 were admitted in the
ward with mild disease. None of the patients had severe disease or died.
Although the sample size is very small, and the hypothesis is premature, but it raises
a pertinent question as to whether the drug also has a protective role in the pandemic!
