Subcutaneous administration of interferon beta-1a for COVID-19: A non-controlled prospective trial

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567576920312893?via%3Dihub

In this prospective non-controlled trial (IRCT20151227025726N12), 20 patients were included. They received IFN-β-1a at a dose of 44 µg subcutaneously every other day up to 10 days. All patients received conventional therapy including Hydroxychloroquine, and lopinavir/ritonavir. The mean age of the patients was 58.55 ± 13.43 years. Fever resolved in all patients during first seven days.  Virological clearance results showed a significant decrease within 10 days. Imaging studies showed significant recovery after 14-day period in all patients. The mean time of hospitalization was 16.8 ± 3.4 days. There were no deaths or significant adverse drug reactions in the 14-day period. Findings support the use of IFN-β-1a in combination with hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir in the management of COVID-19.