IL-6 inhibition in the treatment of COVID-19: A meta-analysis and meta-regression

•Multiple RCTs of IL-6 inhibitors in the treatment of COVID-19 have been published, with conflicting conclusions.•Our meta-analysis of nine RCTs demonstrated improvements in 28-day mortality in favour of IL-6 inhibition over comparators.•Variability across study mortality rates were explained by individual and country-level predictors using meta-regression.•These findings support the use of IL-6 inhibitors for the treatment of severe, hospitalised COVID-19.•Long-term benefits of IL-6 inhibition and implications for differing standards of care are currently unknown.