Treatment of SARS Caused by COVID-19 With Ruxolitinib

In December 2019, a new virus emerged in Wuhan, China rapidly becoming a pandemic with registered cases above 800,000 around the world. The virus is now known as SARS-CoV2 calling its disease coronavirus-19 or COVID-19. The mortality of the virus has been reported around 2-10% and its causes because of the proinflammatory immune response generated on the host. The cytokines involved in the immune response to COVID-19 are IL-1, IL-2, IL4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, GCSF, MCSF, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, HGF, IFN-γ y TNF-α. Ruxolitinib is an inhibitor of JAK 1/2 which is responsable for multiple cellular signals including the proinflammatory IL-6. Ruxolitinib works as and immunomodulator decreasing the cytotoxic T lymphocytes and increasing the Treg cells. This study is intended to stop the disregulated immune response caused by COVID-19 that generates the pneumonia and subsequent severe acute respiratory syndrome.