China is using tocilizumab to treat some people with severe COVID-19 infection, health authorities have said, as the country seeks to build up treatment regimens to help the infected recover.

Tocilizumab (Actemra) is being prescribed to coronavirus patients who show serious lung damage and have an elevated level of interleukin-6, which could indicate inflammation or immunological diseases, China’s National Health Commission says in the latest version of its treatment guidelines, published online.