Since coronavirus infection can lead to persistent infection, it is important to have new antiviral agents against it. In this sense, an antiviral drug that has been available for years (lambda interferon), has been administered in more than 20 clinical trials to patients with several viral diseases, including hepatitis B, C, D and Covid-19 with good results.
A study evaluating the efficacy of lambda interferon in ambulatory patients with Covid-19 within 7 days after the onset of symptoms has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. A total of 1,951 patients were included, of whom 933 received a subcutaneous injection of interferon lambda and 1,018 were treated with placebo.
It was found that in the group treated with interferon lambda, hospitalizations due to Covid-19 were reduced by 41%. In addition, in those patients who received interferon lambda injection within the first three days of infection, the risk of hospitalization decreased by 65%. These results were obtained with the different variants of the coronavirus.
In summary, the administration of a single dose of interferon lambda may be useful in the treatment of Covid-19.
