Efficacy and safety of Interferon-beta 1a in the management of the outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 (A preliminary study)

Mehrdad Haghighi; Mohammad Sistanizad; Omid Moradi; Mehdi Goudarzi; Elham Pourheidar; Nader Tavakoli; Hassan Amiri; Mohammad Seyed Hosseini

doi:10.53730/ijhs.v6nS7.13420

Authors

Mehrdad Haghighi Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran and School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
Mohammad Sistanizad Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Omid Moradi Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mehdi Goudarzi Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Elham Pourheidar Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Nader Tavakoli Trauma and Injury Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran and School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Hassan Amiri Trauma and Injury Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran and School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Seyed Hosseini
saghiclinic@hotmail.com
Saghi Clinic (Covid center), Iran University of medical sciences, Tehran, Iran

Keywords:

COVID-19, Interferon beta, Mild to moderate disease, Clinical state, Outpatients

Abstract

Interferon-beta 1a (IFNβ-1a) has been shown some promising effects on the management of severe COVID-19. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IFNβ-1a in patients with confirmed mild to moderate COVID-19. Respiratory rate (RR) and saturation oxygen (SpO2) were considered as the primary objectives of the study. This cross-sectional randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted for 6 months. All patients received acetaminophen and an antihistamine for symptom relief as needed. Subjects in the intervention group received IFNβ-1a (ReciGen®) 12 million units subcutaneously every other day for three doses. From 201 participants, 100 patients (49.8%) received IFNβ-1a and 101 (50.2%) were included as the control group. The mean difference of SpO2 between baseline and post-intervention was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (3.87% ±2.44% vs -0.59% ± 1.38%; p<0.00, respectively). Also, the reduction in the RR was significantly higher in patients who received IFN (-28.92% ± 8.64% vs 0.51% ± 7.54%; p<0.001, respectively). No IFN-related adverse reactions were detected in our study except injection site reactions in 11 females and 7 males (18% of patients), characterized by erythema, edema, and pain.

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