Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibodies treatment for COVID-19 patients: a meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveWe performed a meta-analysis in order to determine safety of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibodies on COVID-19. MethodsWe searched from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, biorxiv and medrxiv databases beginning in the COVID-19 outbreak on December 1, 2019 until August 29, 2021. The primary outcomes included death, the incidence of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), ventilation requirement, and secondary infection. Results6 eligible literature involving 1501 COVID-19 patients were recruited, and they were divided into experimental group (n = 736) and control group (n = 765). Using a random-effect model, we found that the GM-CSF antibodies treatment was associated with a 3.8-26.9% decline of the risk of mortality[odds ratio (OR) = 0.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.11, -0.01, p =0.02], a 5.3-28.7% reduction of incidence of IMV [OR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.28, 0.95, p =0.03], and a 23.3-50.0% enhancement of ventilation improvement [OR = 11.70, 95% CI 1.99, 68.68, p=0.006]. There were no statistically significant differences in the association between two groups in second infection. ConclusionSevere COVID-19 patients may benefit from GM-CSF antibodies.