May 14, 2021

Interferon-a-2b Aerosol Inhalation Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Coronavirus Disease-2019

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): treatment

• A retrospective analysis of patients with COVID-19 (N=1,401) found that patients treated with IFN-α-2b aerosol inhalation in combination with standard treatment had a 61% lower risk of ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death, even after adjusting for comorbidities, baseline disease severity, and antiviral use. A subgroup analysis found that delayed IFN treatment was associated with an increased probability of these events, which the authors suggest may indicate that the treatment is most effective when given early in the course of illness. The authors also caution that randomized trials are needed to confirm that effectiveness of IFN therapy.

Yu et al. (May 2021). Interferon-a-2b Aerosol Inhalation Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Coronavirus Disease-2019. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14898