Could arthritis med Kevzara hold promise against the novel coronavirus? Sanofi, Regeneron aim to find out

With health authorities around the globe scrambling to treat patients with the novel coronavirus, Regeneron and Sanofi are the latest drugmakers to explore an existing medicine's ability to aid in the fight.

The partners are preparing studies to test rheumatoid arthritis med Kevzara in patients who have contracted the virus, also called COVID-19, a Regeneron spokesman said. Kevzara, approved in 2017, might hold promise in helping patients’ immune systems stop attacking healthy cells, Sanofi’s global head of development for immunology and inflammation Naimish Patel told The Wall Street Journal.