Efficacy of High-Dose Nebulized Interferon α 2b in Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic is progressing rapidly, sending the world into a great panic. Healthcare professionals have responded by embarking on a concerted search for therapies to cure and prevent COVID-19. Recently, interferon (IFN) has emerged as a potential therapy as it is associated with reducing lung inflammation and suppressing viral replication. This research paper assessed the efficacy of high-dose nebulized IFN α 2b in severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

METHODS: This is a retrospective study. It commenced on April 9 and ended on June 17, 2020. Researchers selected participants from hospitalized patients aged 18 years and above who were diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Other inclusion criteria were bilateral pneumonia on lung or chest X-ray scan and severe respiratory distress. SMART-COP, which is a risk stratification scoring tool, and radiologic severity index (RSI) were used to assess pneumonia severity. Patients in the treatment cohort received nebulized IFN α 2b at a dose of 10 million IU every 12 hours for 5 days, in addition to standard treatment. Patients in the control cohort received standard treatment only.

RESULTS: Seventy-three patients met the inclusion criteria; 37 were included in the treatment cohort and 36 in the control cohort. Mechanical ventilation was needed in 14 of 36 (38.9%) patients in the control cohort, compared with 6 of 37 (27.4%) patients in the treatment cohort (HR 5.62 [95% CI 1.81-17.48]; P = .003). For pneumonia severity, there was a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.72 [95% CI 1.74- 7.98]; P = ·.01. After 5 days of treatment, chest X-rays indicated significant beneficial changes in the treatment group (HR 2.24 [CI 1.05-
4.79]; P = .036). Multivariate analysis revealed that pneumonia severity and RSI remained higher in the control group. The HR was 3.44 [95% CI 1.49-7.94]; P = .004 and 2.26 [95% CI 0.99-5.16]; P = .05, respectively. There was an increase in liver aminotransferases in 5 (14%) participants in the control cohort and 3 (8%) participants in the treatment cohort.

CONCLUSION: High-dose nebulized IFN α 2b has potential efficacy in mitigating severe COVID-19 pneumonia. This study established that administering high-dose nebulized IFN α 2b significantly reduces pneumonia severity in COVID-19 patients. We also found a strong relationship between using nebulized IFN α 2b and reduced need for mechanical ventilation among patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. However, a well-designed control trial is needed to confirm the drug's efficacy in reducing the COVID-19 pneumonia severity.

Cite this article as: Chkhis A, Abdulrazzaq N, Mokhtar S, Al Jasmi A. Efficacy of high-dose nebulized interferon α 2b in severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Turk Thorac J. 2021; 22(3): 199-204.