Scientists have found a new effective remedy that helps to quickly rid the body of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Clinical studies have shown that peginterferon lambda activates antiviral defense that protects the respiratory system from respiratory pathogens. This is reported in an article published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
60 people took part in a double-blind trial of the drug, who were randomly divided into two equal groups. Testing continued for seven days after the first symptoms or positive results for SARS-CoV-2. The experimental group was given a single dose of 180 micrograms of peginterferon lambda by subcutaneous injection, and the control group was given a placebo. The primary endpoint of the study was the ratio of patients between the two groups in whom no coronavirus RNA was detected by PCR analysis on day 7.
In patients receiving peginterferon, the level of coronavirus RNA fell more than in people in the placebo group. On the seventh day, 80 percent of people in the experimental group had dropped their viral load below detectable levels (in the placebo group, only 40 percent). In general, the drug accelerated the cleansing of the pathogen from the body by three days. It worked most effectively in patients with a relatively high viral load, reaching 10 to the 6th degree of copies of the virus per milliliter of blood. At lower viral loads, when specific treatment is usually not required, recovery was equally rapid in both groups.
Although the disappearance of signs of the disease occurred at approximately the same rate in both groups, peginterferon contributed to a faster relief from respiratory symptoms, especially in people with a high viral load. This is especially important as high viral load correlates with severe cases of COVID-19.
Peginterferon or pegylated interferon (polyethylene glycol is attached to it) refers to type III interferons, which stimulate genes responsible for fighting viruses, with the antiviral response reaching a peak after 72 hours. The researchers concluded that the antiviral drug should be administered as soon as the infection begins, which will quickly reduce viral load and prevent the more serious form of COVID-19.