Summary
Anakinra has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS) would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS). No registered clinical trial in this database tests Anakinra specifically in Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS). The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study. The literature layer holds 15 publications for this pair: 5 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 2 systematic reviews, 2 randomised controlled trial publications and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2023 to 2025. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Post-Acute COVID/Vaccination Syndrome ranks 675 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Spontaneous resolution at 12 months: ~50-70% of patients; persistent symptoms at 2 years in 30-50%; severely debilitating long COVID in 10-15% at 1 year without intervention.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 50.0 (trials 0.0, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 15 (5 Cochrane reviews, 5 clinical trial publications, 2 systematic reviews, 2 randomised controlled trial publications, 1 meta-analysis) |
| Agent type | Biologic |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
No registered trial links Anakinra to Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS) in the current OSMF trial extract.
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Tocilizumab, sarilumab and anakinra in critically ill patients with COVID-19: a randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trialDerde L, Gordon AC, Mouncey PR et al. · Thorax · 2025 · PMID 40360262
- Clinical trial publication Anakinra efficacy in COVID-19 pneumonia guided by soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor: Association with the inflammatory burden of the hostKyriazopoulou E, Akinosoglou K, Florou E et al. · International journal of antimicrobial agents · 2025 · PMID 39647797
- Clinical trial publication Tocilizumab reduces hypercoagulation in COVID-19 - Perspectives from the coagulation and immunomodulation Covid assessment (Coag-ImmCovA) clinical trialAlmskog LM, Sjöström A, Sundén-Cullberg J et al. · Thrombosis research · 2024 · PMID 39226747
- Clinical trial publication HEPARIN-BINDING PROTEIN LEVELS PREDICT UNFAVORABLE OUTCOME IN COVID-19 PNEUMONIA: A POST HOC ANALYSIS OF THE SAVE TRIALKyriazopoulou E, Dalekos GN, Metallidis S et al. · Shock (Augusta, Ga.) · 2024 · PMID 38517242
- Clinical trial publication Transitions of blood immune endotypes and improved outcome by anakinra in COVID-19 pneumonia: an analysis of the SAVE-MORE randomized controlled trialKyriazopoulou E, Hasin-Brumshtein Y, Midic U et al. · Critical care (London, England) · 2024 · PMID 38475786
- Cochrane review Treatment of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in childrenTong T, Jin YH, Wang M et al. · World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2024 · PMID 38509432
- Randomized controlled trial Immunomodulatory therapy in children with paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS, MIS-C; RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trialRECOVERY Collaborative Group · The Lancet. Child & adolescent health · 2024 · PMID 38272046
- Systematic review Effectiveness of early Anakinra on cardiac function in children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome of COVID-19: a systematic reviewShabil M, Khatib MN, Banda GT et al. · BMC infectious diseases · 2024 · PMID 39169304
- Cochrane review A meta analysis on the utility of Anakinra in severe COVID-19 diseaseMohamed Hussein AAR, Sayad R, Abdelshafi A et al. · Cytokine · 2023 · PMID 37536222
- Cochrane review Clinical efficacy and safety of interleukin-1 blockade in the treatment of patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsLan SH, Hsu CK, Chang SP et al. · Annals of medicine · 2023 · PMID 37199379
- Cochrane review Anakinra for the treatment of COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysisDahms K, Mikolajewska A, Ansems K et al. · European journal of medical research · 2023 · PMID 36841793
- Cochrane review Anakinra was not associated with lower mortality in hospitalised COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsShang W, Zhang Y, Wang G et al. · Reviews in medical virology · 2023 · PMID 36600551
- Meta-analysis Assessment of the available therapeutic approaches for severe COVID-19: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsMarko M, Pawliczak R · Scientific reports · 2023 · PMID 37816884
- Randomized controlled trial Anakinra or tocilizumab in patients admitted to hospital with severe covid-19 at high risk of deterioration (IMMCoVA): A randomized, controlled, open-label trialSundén-Cullberg J, Chen P, Häbel H et al. · PloS one · 2023 · PMID 38157348
- Systematic review Safety and efficacy of pharmacological approaches available for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C): a systematic reviewVelusamy Y, Vivekanandan G, Romli MH et al. · The Turkish journal of pediatrics · 2023 · PMID 37853964
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Anakinra approved for Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS)?
Anakinra has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS) would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS). Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Anakinra in clinical trials for Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS)?
No registered clinical trial in this database tests Anakinra specifically in Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS). The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study.
What does the evidence show for Anakinra in Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS)?
Synthesis-level literature links Anakinra to Long COVID / Post-Acute COVID Sequelae (PACVS), but no registered trial in this database tests the pair, so the evidence is observational, pooled from other indications, or pre-dates registry practice. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.