RE: Initial trial results14 May 2020 13:42
Interferon-a2b treatment for COVID-19
Eleanor N. Fish
Toronto General Hospital Research Institute
'Background
The global pandemic of COVID-19 cases caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2 is
ongoing, with no approved antiviral intervention. We describe here the effects of treatment with interferon-a2b in a cohort of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wuhan,China.
Methods
In this retrospective study, 77 adults hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 were treated with either nebulized IFN-a2b (5mU b.i.d.), arbidol (200mg t.i.d.) or a combination of IFN-a2b plus arbidol. Serial SARS-CoV-2 testing along with hematological measurements, including cell counts and blood biochemistry, serum cytokine levels,
temperature and blood oxygen saturation levels were recorded for each patient during their hospital stay.
Results
Treatment with IFN-a2b with or without arbidol significantly reduced the duration of
detectable virus in the upper respiratory tract and in parallel reduced duration of elevated blood levels for the inflammatory markers IL-6 and CRP.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that IFN-a2b should be further investigated as a therapy in COVID-19 cases. '
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.06.20042580v1.full.pdf