Background: A subset of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will develop acute respiratory distress syndrome and require mechanical ventilation. Studies suggest that many patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome experience a cytokine storm characterized by fever; hyperferritinemia; and a massive release of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and monocyte chemoattractant proteins (1). These findings led to the hypothesis that biological agents targeting specific cytokine or inflammatory pathways may improve the respiratory outcomes of patients with the most severe forms of COVID-19 (2).