Reply to Blot and to Inoue

Abstract

Reply to Blot et al. and to Inoue et al. From the Authors: We thank Blot and colleagues for their interest in our article and for raising an important question regarding the suitability of IL-6 as a therapeutic target in coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In their correspondence, Blot and colleagues provide data on IL-6 levels measured in patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 versus non–COVID-19 pneumonia. Although we believe the data presented by Blot and colleagues are valid, we suggest that the IL-6 levels depicted are, by virtue of sample timing, processing methodology, and patient severity of disease, not comparable to ours and should be interpreted in context.