The Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor acalabrutinib demonstrated benefit in a small uncontrolled case series of hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, reducing measures of inflammation and improving oxygenation.
The results support the idea that BTK inhibitors might effectively combat the hyperimmune reaction, or cytokine storm, that occurs in patients with severe COVID-19 and have led to larger confirmatory controlled trials.
These studies are among many exploring the