Inhaled interferon beta improves odds of recovery from COVID-19

Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who received inhaled nebulized interferon beta-1a were twice as likely to improve and recover than those who received placebo, according to data published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

“The findings of this trial suggest the potential utility of SNG001 in treating patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, although SNG001 should be explored further in a phase 3 trial,” Phillip D. Monk, PhD, chief scientific officer at Synairgen Research at Southampton General Hospital, U.K., and colleagues wrote. “Currently, treatment options for COVID-19 remain limited, with the only evidence-based therapies being remdesivir and dexamethasone.”

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial included 101 adult patients admitted to one of nine U.K. hospitals with COVID-19 infection from March 30 to May 30. Patients were randomly assigned to inhaled nebulized interferon beta-1a (SNG001, Synairgen; n = 48) or placebo (n = 50) by inhalation via mouthpiece daily for 14 days.

The primary outcome was change in clinical condition on the WHO Ordinal Scale for Clinical Improvement (OSCI) during the dosing period in the intention-to-treat population.

At baseline, 29 patients in the placebo group and 37 patients in the SNG001 group required oxygen supplementation. Those who received SNG001 had greater odds of improvement on the OSCI on day 15 or 16 (OR = 2.32; 95% CI, 1.07-5.04; P = .033) and were more likely to recover to an OSCI score of 1 during treatment (HR = 2.19; 95% CI, 1.03-4.69; P = .043) compared with those who received placebo.

Overall, SNG001 was well tolerated with the most frequently reported treatment-emergent adverse event being headache in seven (15%) patients in the SNG001 group and five (10%) patients in the placebo group. In total, three patients in the placebo group died, and no deaths were observed in the SNG001 group.

“These encouraging data provide a strong rationale for larger, international studies in the context of the ongoing clinical burden of COVID-19,” the researchers wrote. “In addition to a phase 3 trial of SNG001 in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 requiring no more than supplementary oxygen, it might be appropriate to also assess the safety and efficacy of SNG001 in ventilated, critically ill patients with COVID-19 who have evidence of active viral infection in the lungs.”