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08/26/20 mb Updated IL-6 Inhibitor Criteria
August 27, 2020

From: "Madeline Belk" <madeline.belk@hhsys.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2020 3:43:53 PM
Subject: Updated IL-6 Inhibitor Criteria

Good afternoon,

As mentioned in huddle yesterday, AMT has updated the IL-6 Inhibitor Criteria for COVID-19 (see attached). These changes have been approved by P&T and are ready to share with you all. The major process change is the removal of AMT approval. This change allows pharmacists to verify tocilizumab (Actemra) orders without calling the COVID-19 Hotline for AMT approval as long as the patient meets the criteria. However, if there is any uncertainty regarding the criteria then please do not hesitate to reach out.

Changes were  also made to the inclusion/exclusion criteria and include the following:

• Clarification of the definition of hypoxia on room air
• Removal of disease states such as heart failure, COPD, and HIV, as well as previous TB infection
• Direction on how to manage patients with suspected co-infections

You can access the updated document on FormWeb under “COVID-19 Info for Pharmacists”. Please reach out if you have any questions or need clarification.

Thank you all for your help managing our COVID-19 patients!